Alexandru Bassarab, or Basarab (August 7, 1907 – July 8, 1941), was a Romanian painter, engraver, and fascist politician. Earning his reputation for his pioneering work in linocut and woodcut, he explored neotraditionalism, Romanian nationalism, and Romanian folklore, and was ultimately drawn into politics with the Iron Guard. He helped steer several art groups associated or integrated with the Guard, contributed to its fascist propaganda, and briefly served in the Assembly of Deputies. He survived the clampdown of the late 1930s, returning to apolitical work with Grupul Grafic, and exploring the legacy of Byzantine art.
Under the National Legionary State, Bassarab returned to favor as one of the leading political iconographers, also urging others to contribute "epic" art in support of the regime. Arrested during the civil strife of early 1941, Bassarab was allowed to redeem himself on the Eastern Front. He died there, in mysterious circumstances, while his work continued to be censored at home.
Biography Early life Bassarab was born in Bacău, where he graduated high school. Iurie Colesnic, "În culisele Istoriei. Un pictor căzut la Țiganca", in Timpul, February 8, 2014 Likely a student of Ion Theodorescu-Sion's at the National School of Fine Arts, in subsequent years he attended both the Law Faculty of the University of Bucharest at the private art school run by Constantin Vlădescu, where his teachers included Nicolae Tonitza, Francisc Șirato and Petre Iorgulescu-Yor.Teacă, p. 200. See also Clark, p. 192 Bassarab debuted as a painter—in May 1931, he a still-life of his was exhibited at the Official Salon in Bucharest. As noted by fellow artist Mac Constantinescu, it was "sensibly treated in a palette that is both somber and distinguished."Mac Constantinescu, "Rubrica plastică. Salonul oficial. Pictura", in Cuvântul, May 6, 1931, p. 2 He was becoming a specialist in the linocut technique,Scăiceanu, p. 384 also praised for his work in woodcut. He continued to exhibit canvasses at various venues but, as noted at the time by art critic Alexandru D. Broșteanu, these were "timid", far less "rounded" than his woodcuts.Alexandru D. Broșteanu, "Cronica plastică", in Gândirea, Issue 4/1936, pp. 214–215 The same was argued by Petru Comarnescu, who suggests that Bassarab "never fully mastered the interplay of colors".Petru Comarnescu, "Note. †Al. Basarab", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Issue 5/1942, pp. 467–468
Bassarab joined the Iron Guard, a native fascist movement, in 1932, and, as an aspiring propagandist, helped set up its artistic club, named after Ștefan Luchian, and its Ideea României Lodge. This enterprise also involved poet Horia Stamatu, who, in a retrospective letter of 1985, depicted himself as the group's theoretician. Also according to Stamatu, other members were George Zlotescu, Alexandru Ciucurencu and Constantin Joja—as well as, more marginally, Ion Țuculescu, brought in by Zlotescu.Alexandru Lungu, "Între semn și cuvânt (Răsfoind scrisorile de la Horia Stamatu)", in Vatra, Vol. XXVII, Issue 343, October 1999, p. 56 From October 1934, with Stamatu, Zlotescu, Ciucurencu, Ioan Victor Vojen, Dan Botta, and Radu Gyr, Bassarab was also active in the art collective Arta și Omul. Founded as an apolitical enterprise by Tonitza, it had been taken over by Guardist intellectuals, expressing its rejection of liberal democracy and its embrace of corporatism.Ioan Victor Vojen, "Prefață pentru o activitate viitoare", in Arta și Omul, Issues 16–17/1934, pp. 236–238
In parallel, Bassarab's apolitical works were featured at the Official Salons. Although he failed to win prizes there, in 1934 and 1935 the Romanian state purchased a number of his engravings."Caleidoscopul vieții intelectuale. Litere, știință, artă. Premiile și cumpărăturile la Salonul Oficial de desen și gravură", in Adevărul, December 1, 1935, p. 2; A. B., "Note și informații", in Arta și Omul, Issues 16–17/1934, p. 264 In early 1936, his portraits and cityscapes in various mediums were featured as a personal art show at Mozart Gallery. Columnist Alexandru Balteș was impressed by his achievements, and especially by his use of contours, "concise, somber and expressive". He declared Bassarab a "bard of the Bucharest mahala".Alexandru Balteș, "Expozițiile. D. Ciucurencu. I. Negrulea, A. Bassarab, D-na Tacian Baludima", in Argus, February 15, 1936, p. 3 His colleague N. I. Lazăr contrarily noted that Bassarab's "Bucharest views" were less accomplished than his other work. Overall, Lazăr rated Bassarab as "still a beginner."N. I. Lazăr, "Cronica plastică. La 'Universul', I. Panteli-Stanciu. La 'Mozart', Ciucurencu și alții", in Țara Noastră, February 21, 1936, p. 2 Alongside Stamatu, Bassarab worked on an edition of François Villon's ballads: Stamatu translated them, and Bassarab designed the lettering. Although the work was never printed in book form, it circulated as a rough copy among the intellectuals of Bucharest.Octav Șuluțiu, "Cronica literară: Zoe Verbiceanu, Baladele lui François Villon", in Gândirea, Issues 3–4/1941, p. 195 Mihail Polihroniade used his engravings for his propaganda work, Tabăra de muncă, which came out at Universul publishers in 1936.Clark, p. 195
As a contributor to Ideea Românească review, in June 1937 Bassarab co-authored (with Stamatu, Zlotescu, and Pavel Costin Deleanu), the manifesto Revoluția așezării românești ("A Revolution in Romanian Settlement"). It declared the bankruptcy of modernist architecture as a staple of localized "internationalism", advocating instead for updating traditional Romanian forms.Arșavir Acterian, "Fapte și idei. Revoluția așezării românești", in Vremea, Vol. X, Issue 492, June 1937, p. 10 According to historian Roland Clark, Bassarab and Zlotescu endure as "[the Guard's] best painters", both of them being guided by Theodorescu-Sion's neotraditionalism; all three were indebted to Romanian folklore, depicting peasants as "active, heroic figures", "dynamic, virile, determined".Clark, pp. 192–193 Their art, seen by far-right chroniclers as a "purely Romanian" enterprise, was prominently displayed at the Guard's Bucharest offices, Casa Verde, during a September 1937 exhibit.Clark, pp. 182, 193 He was only featured there with his woodcuts, including Arhanghelul ("The Archangel") and a series of depictions of the Guard's main leaders.George Nichita, "Cronica plastică. Expoziția grupului 'Luchian'", in Curentul, October 19, 1937, p. 2 Stamatu also recalls a "magnificent exhibit" of his group, held at Sala Dalles "in autumn 1937". Also in 1937, Bassarab and Zlotescu illustrated Neculai Totu's memoir of Guardist participation in the Spanish Civil War."Deciziuni. Comisiunea română pentru aplicarea armistițiului. Comunicat", in Monitorul Oficial, Issue 129/1945, p. 4857
Bassarab had by then joined the Guard's new legal avatar, called "Everything for the Country Party" (TPȚ), and was serving as its regional president in Ialomița County—also holding a Guard rank as Comandant Ajutor ("Assistant Commander")."Inmormântarea legionarului Ion Târcolea, ucis la Sâveni", in Buna Vestire, December 20, 1937, p. 5 He himself ran on the TPȚ county lists in the December 1937 election. According to Polihroniade's retelling of the campaign, Bassarab was able to outsmart rival politicians, in particular those of the National Christian Party, ensuring that the results were properly tabulated. As a result, "the Guardist list took first place in Ialomița."Mihail Polihroniade, "Campania electorală. 'Minunea' de la Călărași'", in Buna Vestire, November 25, 1937, p. 1 On December 4, he returned to his native city, where Guard leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was inaugurating a Christian-only consumers' co-operative, specifically boycotting Romanian Jewish merchants.I. Stoenescu, "Ultima Oră. Batalionul comerțului legionar începe bătălia în Moldova cotropită de jidani. Față'n față cu dușmanul. Deschiderea consumului legionar de la Bacău. Cuvântul Căpitanului", in Buna Vestire, December 5, 1937, p. 6
On December 15, Bassarab, Deleanu and Mircea Eliade were in Țăndărei for the funeral of Ion Târcolea, who had been killed during the electoral showdown. Bassarab himself took a Ialomița seat in the Assembly of Deputies, but lost it immediately when King Carol II ordered a clampdown. Subsequently, the National Renaissance Front dictatorship kept Bassarab under close watch, documenting his participation (with Polihroniade, Ion Zelea Codreanu, and Bănică Dobre) in the clandestine Guardist reunion of Călărași (February 1938).Valentin Gheorghe, "Activitatea legionarilor dâmbovițeni în timpul monarhiei autoritare carliste (1938–1940)", in Collegium Mediense III. Comunicări Științifice, XII: Istorie, Arheologie, Științe Politice, 2013, p. 105 On February 15, Bassarab married schoolteacher Elena Cantaragiu at a church in Bucureștii Noi, in front of an audience which included C. Z. and I. Z. Codreanu, alongside Eliade, Polihroniade, Haig Acterian, and Constantin Gane."Ultima Oră. Căsătoria pictorului Alexandru Bassarab", in Buna Vestire, February 16, 1938, p. 6
Political rise, downfall, and death In February 1940, Bassarab joined Zlotescu and Valentin Hoeflich for another exhibit at Sala Dalles. Columnist Ion Zurescu noted his "daring" approach, and his growing similarities with primitive art.Ion Zurescu, "Cronica plastică", in România, February 10, 1940, p. 4 The clash between Carol and the Guardist leadership had by then escalated into an armed conflict. On March 17, 1940, Bassarab, like Gyr, Radu Meitani and Ștefan Palaghiță, signed up to a letter which affirmed their loyalty to the throne, describing themselves as legionarii de ieri ("former Guardists")."Uniți în jurul M. S. Regelui, toți foștii fruntași legionari se încadrează in noile orânduiri politice ale țării. Mărturisirea de credință fațâ de Tron. Apelul pentru foștii camarazi", in Curentul, March 17, 1940, p. 9 In that context, Bassarab exhibited with the collective known as Grupul Grafic, alongside Marcel Olinescu. Their work was apolitical, heavily inspired by Byzantine art—within that context, Bassarab remained the more naturalistic, preserving elements of perspective.Petru Comarnescu, "Note. Grupul Grafic", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Issue 2/1940, p. 476 Founders of Grupul Grafic also included Aurel Mărculescu, who was both Jewish and an anti-fascist. V. I., Aurel Mărculescu/Aron Marcovici (Piatra Neamț, 1900 – București, 1947), J-Art. Artiști Evrei din România (Center for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism in Romania & Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania)
In September 1940, Carol abdicated and the Guard took over, establishing a "National Legionary State"; Bassarab, Olinescu, and Gheorghe Ceglokoff reformed Grupul Grafic, which was now openly associated with the Guard, and exhibited at Sala Dalles.Ion Frunzetti, "Grupul Grafic (Sala Dalles)", in Universul Literar, Issue 40/1940, p. 6 Bassarab now showcased work that was highly political, including portraits of folk heroes such as Horia alongside Guard commanders such as C. Z. Codreanu, Ion Moța and Gheorghe Clime. Ion Frunzetti, a Guard supporter and art critic, praised him as "the chronicler of a destiny", with "a certain Thracian toughness".Clark, p. 193; Teacă, p. 200 On November 11, the Ministry of Arts took control over the Artists' Guild, and assigned its new leadership—with Bassarab, Oscar Han and Marius Bunescu among the new directors."Curentul zilei. Noua conducere a sindicatului artelor frumoase", in Curentul, November 13, 1940, p. 2 Appointed to other high positions in the field of propaganda, Bassarab stirred controversy by suggesting that artists should abandon easel painting in favor of "epic" muralism.Ion Vlasiu, "Cronici. Salonul oficial de toamnă", in Revista Fundațiilor Regale, Issue 12/1940, pp. 663–664