Preserving the ties with the Byzantine tradition, the Romanian culture of the Modern Age manifests an increasing tendency to follow the European artistic movements which send in turn echoes of the Renaissance, Romanticist, Academist or Impressionistic trends.After the 1859 union of Valahia and Moldova, Iasi and Bucharest became the most important centers for artistic higher education, which would decisively contribute to the development of arts in Romania.
Painting
Nicolae Grigorescu and Ion Andreescu worked for a time at Barbizon, in France, alongside the artists who pioneered the Impressionist movement. These two painters are the founders of modern Romanian painting.
They were followed, in the first half of the 20th century, by great personalities who opened new vistas in Romanian painting. Having made their debut before the second World War, several artists also continue activity in the following decades, succeeding – despite all adversities in postwar totalitarian period – to enhance the substance of the national heritage: Ion Tuculescu, Henri Catargi, Alexandru Ciucurencu, Sterian, Corneliu Baba.
In painting, in the last decades, new generations have asserted themselves, relating creatively to the values of our heritage. There are remarkable personalities, such as Octav Grigorescu, Florin Niculiu, Georgeta Naparus, Ion Bitzan, Horia Bernea, Ion Nicodim, Ion Pacea.
Also there are some Romanian painters who still work abroad: Horia Damian, Iosif Iliu, Natalia Dumitrescu, Serban Epure, Petru Hartopeanu, Toma Roata, Dana Roman.
Sculpture
Modern Romanian sculpture has been marked by Constantin Brāncusi, the man who initiated the restructuring of the world’s sculptural language in this century. Interested in the fundamental problems of form and expression, Brāncusi undertook a careful examination of the cultural precedents, going down to the "dawn of archetypes" where he discovered the pure, essential and fully significant form.
If Brāncusi revitalized the abstract expression of archaic art, Dimitrie Paciurea headed for those figurative and fantastic mythological representations that have functions in the old symbolical repertories but which still prove to be pertinent. With Gheorghe D. Anghel, Romanian 20th century sculpture regains the purity and severity of the Byzantine form, controlled by a spirit fed on classical ideals.
Old Books
The museums of the monasteries in Romania preserve most valuable illuminated manuscripts in the Slavonic, Greek and Romanian languages.
In the first decades of the 14th century printing presses began to function in Bucharest, Targoviste, Brasov, Iasi, Alba Iulia, Ramnic, Buzau, Blaj.
A sustained activity of printing texts in the Romanian language began in 1559 when Deacon Coresi printed "Catehismul" at his own printing house in Brasov. There follows the "Tetraevanghel" (The Gospels) in 1561, "Apostolul" in 1563, "Liturghierul" and "Psaltirea" in 1570, "Evanghelia cu invataturi" in 1581, "Palia de la Orastie" (Old Testament) in 1582.
"Divanul or Gālceava īnteleptului cu lumea" (The World’s Parley with the Wise Man, 1688), a book of philosophical essays by Dimitrie Cantemir, "Capete de porunca" (Status 1714) a textbook of civil law written by Mitropolitul Antim Ivireanul, "Jurnalul de calatorie in China" (Traveler's Notes from China, 3 volumes, 1675 – 1678) by Nicolae Milescu, "Fiziologul" (Physiologus, 1693) a popular textbook of zoology translated by Costa Dascalul of Scheii Brasovului, "Istoria politica si geografica a Tarilor Romanesti" (The Political and Geographical History of the Romanian Countries, 1688 – 1695), by Constantin Cantacuzino are some of the bibliophile values of the old Romanian book heritage.
Literature
The literary works configuring a first stage in the evolution of the Romanian modern literature belong to a generation of writers in the fifth decade of last century, during a historical epoch marked by social and political changes determinated by the 1848 revolutions: Vasile Alecsandri (1818 – 1890), Mihail Kogalniceanu (1817 – 1891), Alecu Russo (1819 – 1859), Nicolae Balcescu (1819 – 1852), Dimitrie Bolintineanu (1825 – 1872), Gheorghe Baritiu (1812 – 1893), Ion Ghica (1816 – 1897).
The second half of the 19th century was the epoch of the great classic authors of the Romanian literature: Mihai Eminescu (1850 – 1889) – the national poet, Ion Creanga (1839 – 1889) and Ioan Slavici (1848 – 1925) – prose writers, I.L.Caragiale (1852 – 1912) – playwright, Alexandru Macedonski (1854 – 1920) – poet, Titu Maiorescu (1840 – 1917) – aesthetician, literary critic and cultural mentor.
In the 20th century, the Romanian literature had known an ascending evolution, the climax of which was the brilliant generation of inter-bellum writers: Mihail Sadoveanu (1880 – 1961), Liviu Rebreanu (1885 – 1944), Lucian Blaga (1895 – 1961), Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (1876 – 1955), Camil Petrescu (1894 – 1957) a.o.
In the 60s, a new generation of good writers appeared, whose names stood up as solid foundations of the contemporary Romanian literature: Marin Preda (1922 – 1981), Emil Botta (1912 – 1977), Nichita Stanescu (1933 –1983), Nicolae Breban (1934 - ), Stefan Augustin Buzura (1938 - ) a.o.
After December 1989, the main line of the Romanian literature has been represented by the effort to bring before the young generation the names and the works of writers of the Romanian emigration, who had been forbidden during the communist regime.
Theatre
In the Middle Ages, theatrical performances were given at the princely courts or the residences of the big feudal lords, evincing mostly a formal character.
The year 1817 marked the opening of the Oravita Theatre, the first in the Romanian language, while in 1818 the Arad Theatre had its premiere.
The Literary Society, established in 1927, gave a strong impetus to theatrical life in Bucharest. Its masterminds set up the School of Dramatic Art and gave daily performances.
In 1836 the Philharmonic-Drama Conservatory of Iasi was founded. In 1848 the Iasi Theatre was established and in 1852 the Bucharest Theatre, with capacity of 1,000 seats.
Prose writer and playwright Ion Luca Caragiale (1852 – 1912) further consolidated the foundations of the Romanian theatre.
In the first decades of activity of the National Theatre several actors gave memorable performances, going down in the history of the Romanian theatrical performance: Grigore Manolescu, Stefan Iulian, Aristizza Romanescu, C.I.Nottara, Aristide Demetriad, Ion Brezeanu.
The most representative playwrights of that period were Camil Petrescu (1894 – 1957), Lucian Blaga (1895 – 1961), Victor Eftimiu (1889 – 1972), Mihail Sebastian (1907 – 1945), Victor Ion Popa (1895 – 1946) and Tudor Musatescu (1903 – 1970).
During the 45 years of communist dictatorship, there was an underground form of cultural and spiritual opposition, especially in the theatre. Many playwrights have communicated their ideas and messages through parable and parody, or placed the action of their play outside time, giving free vent to criticism. Contemporary Romanian theatre has important authors, such as: Horia Lovinescu, Teodor Mazilu, D.R.Popescu, Marin Sorescu, Tudor Popescu, Iosif Naghiu, Matei Visniec.
In the performing art of the last decades exceptional actors have increased the prestige of the national theatre school: Lucia Sturdza Bulandra, George Vraca, George Calboreanu, Grigore Vasiliu—Birlic, Alexandru Giugaru, Silvia Dumitrescu Timica, Silvia Popovici, Toma Caragiu, Radu Beligan, Marin Moraru, Gheorghe Dinica, Stefan Iordache, Ion Caramitru. Among the most important theatre directors there are, after the forerunners Sica Alexandrescu, Constantin Moruzan and Ion Sava, Liviu Ciulei, Lucian Pintilie, Ion Cojar, many of them known outside Romania.
Music
In the Middle Ages, the Romanian musical art became an original spiritual reality acknowledged as such. The Valahian dance is mentioned in many European Musical Codex.
The Renaissance and the Baroque epoch spurred the process of musical creation both in monasteries and in the princely citadels of Suceava and Iasi (Moldova), Alba Iulia (Transilvania) and Bucharest (Valahia).
The times that came after the Union of the Romanian Principalities (1859) and the state independence (1877) witnessed a cultural upsurge. The first Conservatories were set up in Iasi (1860) and Bucharest (1864) and then the Romanian Philharmonic Society was created (1868).
With folklore as a source of inspiration, composers like Alexandru Flechtenmacher, Eduard Caudella, Gavril Musicescu, Ciprian Porumbescu and Gheorghe Dima composed choral and vocal-instrumental music, opera, operetta and vaudeville. The work and activity of these founders of the professional Romanian music mark the birth of music school and herald the rise of a genius, George Enescu (1881 – 1955), whose creation covers several historical stages in the development of music and raises the value of modern Romanian music to the level of world art.
Enescu’s generation was also marked by other names such as D.G.Kiriac, Sabin Dragoi, Dimitrie Cuclin, Martian Negrea, Mihail Jora, Alexandru Zirra, Paul Constatinescu, Tiberiu Brediceanu.
In the last decades it was been a remarkable generation of conductors: Mihai Brediceanu, Iosif Conta, Emanuel Elenescu, Ludovic Baci, Mircea Basarab, Mircea Cristescu, Cristian Mandeal, Horia Andeescu, Marin Constantin as well of soloists: Valentin Gheorghiu, Ion Voicu, Dan Grigore, Stefan Ruha and opera singers: Elena Cernei, Zenaida Palli, Nicolae Herlea, Dan Iordachescu, David Ohanesian, Octav Enigarescu, Nicolae Florei, Iolanda Marculescu, Viorica Cortez, Ileana Cotrubas, Mariana Nicolesco, Eugenia Moldoveanu, Gheorghe Crasnaru, Ludovic Spiess, Angela Burlacu, a.o.