"Painting, my life"

More than 60 years have gone since Costache Nenea dedicated his spare time to drawing, watercolor, painting and designing mural works. He was born in the town of Roman, on May 24, 1930. When he was only four, he started drawing with pencils, but later started using a much more delicate tool - the paintbrush. His first prizes came at the age of nine (1939), from the "Mugurasul" and "Universul copiilor" magazines, and in 1944 the Romanian Naval League awarded the "Honorary Diploma" for the best drawings. An incentive at that time was that his first work, "The newspaper salesman", was appreciated and even received a prize from the "Universul Copiilor" magazine. Then came exhibitions at the Bucharest Arts House, where he presented graphics and painting.
The future artist started planning on how to improve his skills. Between 1960 - 1967, he studied at the Arts School and the "Nicolae Grigorescu" Arts Institute. He worked under the guidance of great painters: Camelian Demetrescu, Octavian Angheluta, Vlad Florescu, Lucretia Florescu, and others. In 1957, he started working at the Railways as an electrical mechanic.
Every time he passed by the council hall within the ministry, his eyes fell on the empty walls, which by design were destined to be used for fresco, as he believed. Then came the idea to pain the hall. He worked with pleasure, but the joy of seeing his work completed was torn apart by an earthquake that destroyed everything. Nevertheless, with a determination that would honor Master Manole, Costache Nenea started from scratch, seemingly with even more dedication and pleasure. Today, every railway employee who steps into the ministry can admire the decorations, painstakingly drawn by Costache Nenea.
The period between 1960 - 1967 brought an improvement in his knowledge of fine arts, not only after graduating the two arts schools, but after studying major works of art in Europe's greatest museums (Prado, Louvre, Ermitage, etc.).
As part of international collaboration between railways, he displayed his works in exhibits Lyon and Moscow, and sometimes generously offered sketches and cartoons to participants to various symposiums.
We can say today that the works of Costache Nenea are not only the fruit of a long search and exploration, but particularly the result of frankness, warmth, and authenticity of an exceptional artist.

Oana Bran