Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brâncuși at Târgu Jiu

{{short description|Sculptural ensemble by Constantin Brancuși in Romania}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}} {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site | WHS = Brâncuși Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu | image = Parcul coloanei infinitului.jpg | image_size = | caption = The ''Infinity Column'' (''Coloana Infinitului'') | Includes = ''Masa tăcerii'', ''Poarta sărutului'', ''Coloana Infinitului'' | Location = [[Târgu Jiu]], [[Gorj County]], [[Romania]] | Criteria = Cultural (i), (ii) | ID = 1473 | Coordinates = {{coord|45.0394|N|23.2687|E}} | Year = 2024 | Extension =  | Danger =  | Area =  | Buffer_zone =  | Website =  | locmapin = Romania | map_caption =  | map_width =  | relief =  | child =  | embedded =  }}

The '''Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brâncuși at Târgu Jiu''' ({{Langx|ro|Ansamblul sculptural Constantin Brâncuși de la Târgu-Jiu}}) is an homage to the [[Romania]]n heroes of the [[World War I|First World War]]. The ensemble comprises three sculptures: '''''The Table of Silence''''' (''Masa tăcerii''), '''''The Gate of the Kiss''''' (''Poarta sărutului''), and the '''''Endless Column''''' (''Coloana fără Sfârșit'') on an axis 1.3 km ({{frac|3|4}} mile) long, oriented west to east. The ensemble is considered to be one of the great works of 20th-century outdoor sculpture. The ensemble was inscribed as a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Brâncuși Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1473/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

The monument was commissioned by the ''National League of Gorj Women'' to honor those soldiers who had defended [[Târgu Jiu]] in 1916 from the forces of the [[Central Powers]]. [[Constantin Brâncuși]] (1876–1957) was at the time living in [[Paris]], but welcomed the opportunity to create a large commemorative sculpture in his homeland. He accepted the commission in 1935, but refused to receive payment for it.

==''The Endless Column''== ''The Endless Column'' symbolizes the concept of infinity and the infinite sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers. The ''Infinity Column'' stacks 15 rhomboidal modules, with a half-unit at the top and bottom, making a total of 16. The incomplete top unit is thought to be the element that expresses the concept of the infinite.<ref>{{cite book|last=Parigoris|first=Alexandra|chapter=Brâncuși and his return to Romania|title=Brâncuși's Endless Column Ensemble|edition=Ernest Beck|publisher=Scala Publishers|location=London|year=2007|pages=12–29, 21}}</ref> Brâncuși had experimented with this form as early as 1918, with an oak version now found in the collection of the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in [[New York City]].<ref>[http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=81729 MoMA | The Collection | Constantin Brancusi. Endless Column. version I, 1918]</ref> The modules were made in the central workshop of [[Petroșani]] (''Atelierele Centrale Petroșani''), assembled by Brâncuși's friend engineer Ștefan Georgescu-Gorjan (1905–1985), and completed on 27 October 1938. All 16 rhomboidal modules accumulate a total height of 29.3 m.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=91153|title=The Endless Column|website=SkyscraperPage.com|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref>

In the 1950s, the Romanian [[Socialist Republic of Romania|communist government]] planned to demolish the column and turn it into scrap metal, but this plan was never executed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://evz.ro/comunistii-au-vrut-sa-darame-coloana-infinitului-si-s-o-dea-la-fier-vechi.html|title=Comuniștii au vrut să dărâme Coloana Infinitului și s-o dea la fier vechi|trans-title=The communists wanted to tear down the Endless Column and turn it into scrap metal|first=Marina |last=Constantinoiu|date=27 October 2019| language=ro|access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref> After the [[Romanian Revolution|Romanian Revolution of 1989]] and the fall of the Communist regime, there was renewed interest in restoring the column, which by that time suffered from tilting, cracking, metal [[corrosion]], and an unstable foundation. For these reasons the site was listed in the [[1996 World Monuments Watch]] by the [[World Monuments Fund]]. The restoration was facilitated by the Fund, which organized meetings for the stakeholders in 1998 and provided funding through [[American Express]]. Subsequently, the site was restored between 1998 and 2000 through a collaborative effort of the Romanian Government, the World Monuments Fund, the [[World Bank Group|World Bank]], and other Romanian and international groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wmf.org/project/brancusi%E2%80%99s-endless-ensemble|title=Brancusi's Endless Ensemble|publisher=[[World Monuments Fund]]|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029095033/http://www.wmf.org/project/brancusi%E2%80%99s-endless-ensemble|archivedate=29 October 2011|access-date=24 November 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==''Ensemble''== {{unreferenced section|date=July 2024}}

Two other pieces constitute the ''Ensemble''.

''The Table of Silence'' is a circular stone table surrounded by twelve hourglass-seats, which symbolize time. The significance of Brâncuși's sculpture has been subjected to many interpretations. Some{{who|date=July 2024}} say that ''The Table of Silence'' represents the moment before the battle. Nevertheless, the seats are not located close to the edges of the table. Others{{who|date=July 2024}} say that it represents The Last Supper, in which the twelve apostles are seated around Jesus. The chairs are for the apostles and the table represents Jesus himself. {{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

''The Gate of the Kiss'', of [[Banpotoc]] [[travertine]] (marble), features two kiss motifs on the pillars. The entire gate has a width of 6.45 m and a height of 5.13 m. The transition to another life occurs through ''The Gate of the Kiss''.{{according to whom|date=March 2020}}

The ''Ensemble'' was inaugurated on 27 October 1938. During the [[Socialist Realism]] epoch, Brâncuși was challenged as an exponent of "cosmopolitan bourgeois formalism". However, in 1964, Brâncuși was rediscovered in Romania as a national genius and consequently the ''Ensemble of Târgu Jiu'' was restored from a long period of degradation.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==Gallery== <gallery> File:RO GJ Tg Jiu park featuring Endless Column.jpg|Infinity Column File:Parcul din Târgu Jiu cu Calea Eroilor.jpg|The Table of Silence File:Poarta sarutului 1.jpg|The Gate of the Kiss </gallery>

==See also== * [[Seven Wonders of Romania]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{cite magazine|last=Newton|first=Richard|date=Summer 2006|title=Reclaiming Sacred Space: Landscaping Constantine Brancusi's Endless Column Complex|url=http://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/wmf_article/pg_32-39_brancusi.pdf|magazine=ICON Magazine|pages=32–39|access-date=22 February 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405044339/http://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/wmf_article/pg_32-39_brancusi.pdf|archivedate=5 April 2012|df=dmy-all}} * {{cite magazine|last=Parigoris|first=Alexandra|date=21 January 2002|title=Endless Column Restored|url=http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag02/janfeb02/column/column.shtml|magazine=Sculpture|access-date=22 February 2017}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.wmf.org/publication/restoration-brancusis-endless-column|title=The Restoration of Brancusi's 'Endless Column'|publisher=[[World Monuments Fund]]|date=June 2006|access-date=1 March 2020}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sculptural Ensemble Of Constantin Brancusi At Targu Jiu}} [[Category:1938 establishments in Romania]] [[Category:1938 sculptures]] [[Category:World Heritage Sites in Romania]] [[Category:Abstract sculpture]] [[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1938]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Târgu Jiu]] [[Category:Modernist sculpture]] [[Category:Monumental columns]] [[Category:Outdoor sculptures in Romania]] [[Category:Sculptures by Constantin Brâncuși]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Gorj County]] [[Category:World War I memorials in Romania]] [[Category:Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in Europe]]