Lívia Rusz

Lívia Rusz
Born(1930-09-28)September 28, 1930
Cluj, Kingdom of Romania
DiedFebruary 26, 2020(2020-02-26) (aged 89)
Budapest, Hungary
NationalityDual: Romanian and Hungarian
Area(s)Artist
Notable works
Mac, Cocofifi, Dan Buzdugan, Csipike, Miskati közbelép

Lívia or Livia Rusz (Hungarian pronunciation: [liːviɒ rus], Romanian: [ˈlivi.a rus]; September 28, 1930 – February 26, 2020) was a Romanian and Hungarian graphic artist, best known for her work in illustration, comic strip, and comic book genres. One of the most recognizable contributors to these fields during Romania's communist period, she created popular children's comics such as Mac and Cocofifi, before signing as one of the main illustrators for Editura Ion Creangă publishing house. She subsequently produced illustrations for many of the company's principal releases, including an edition of Ion Creangă's Childhood Memories and the first Romanian-language edition of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

A member of the Hungarian-Romanian community, Rusz escaped communist political pressures by settling in Budapest, Hungary in 1987. She continued to live there, and has also become recognized as a contributor to the Hungarian comics school.

Biography

Born in Cluj (Kolozsvár), Lívia Rusz was from a Hungarian-Romanian family.[1][2] She grew up in a mixed environment, among local Hungarians and Romanians, and, according to her own recollection: "My road was opened by a school with exceptional spirituality, where I was taught to respect and maintain traditions, to treasure the eternal cultural values, to preserve and take care of our identity so as not to offend the others".[1] Her father, Liviu, was a Romanian Railways employee, amateur artist and calligrapher, who had undergone formal training with painter Sándor Szopos.[2] Rusz was herself avid to train in visual art, copying his paintings, learning how to use watercolors, and entering a class run by Szopos.[2] After graduating from primary school, Rusz continued her education at a high school in her native city, where her talents brought her to the attention of painter and academic Zoltán Kovács.[2] On Kovács' personal recommendation, she applied for the Cluj Art Institute upon passing her baccalaureate examination, and completed her training in 1955.[2] She declared herself "lucky" to have been taught by Kovács, "an artist with virtues recognized even by those who undermined him".[1] As a result of this training and influence, she came to define herself as a "conservative", who did not "renew [herself] whenever the fashion changes."[1] Rusz was Assistant at the Institute for the following three years, losing her post to an administrative restructuring.[2]

At that stage in her life, Lívia Rusz began collaborating with specialized magazines for children. With time, her work in the comics genre came to be influenced by Jean Cézard, French creator of Arthur le fantôme justicier for Pif gadget, and one of the few foreign cartoonists to be known in Romania.[3] The first local publication to employ Rusz was the Hungarian-language Napsugár, where she first met writer Sándor Fodor, with whom she collaborated on the cycle of books Csipike (known as Piticul Cipi in Romanian).[2] This contribution brought her to the attention of Lucia Olteanu, editor of Luminița, a Bucharest-based and Romanian-language periodical.[2] Rusz accepted the offer of collaboration, and, with Olteanu, created the comic strips Rățoiul Mac ("Mac the Duck"; Hungarian: Mákvirág) and Cocofifi (or Kokó).[2] These earned Rusz a large following among the young public,[2] and she also began collaborating with the youth journals Arici Pogonici and Cutezătorii.[3] Her other projects in comics included a rendition of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as well as the comic strips Maimuța Kio ("Kio the Monkey", with a text by Ovidiu Zotta), redrawings of the Mac and Cocofifi originals, and Dan Buzdugan ("Dan the Mace", a medieval fantasy series, distinguished among her contributions for its more realistic visual style).[3]

By then, Rusz had also started work in illustration, primarily as a cover artist for various local publishing houses, including Editura Ion Creangă and Editura Tineretului.[2] Her work was remarked by writer and Ion Creangă manager Tiberiu Utan, and Rusz became a permanent collaborator of the brand.[2] During her time with Editura Ion Creangă, she applied her art to editions of Wilhelm Hauff's Märchen (as Basme), and reprints of classical works for children in Romanian literature: Nicolae Constantin Batzaria's Poveşti de aur ("Golden Stories")[2] and Ion Creangă's collected fairy tales and Childhood Memories.[2][4] Also during that interval, Lívia Rusz became the first Romanian illustrator of J. R. R. Tolkien's work, when she contributed drawings for The Hobbit (in its original 1975 edition, marketed by Editura Ion Creangă).[2] While working on this project, she was reportedly unable to compare her renditions of hobbits, Elves or Orcs with any previous portrayals by other artists, owing to the scarcity of foreign literature sources in Romania—her work therefore owed much to imagination.[2]

Interior artwork from Miskati közbelép  (1988 Origo Press)

In 1987, two years before the December Revolution toppled communism, Rusz decided to leave Romania for West Germany.[2] This gesture was a consequence of nationalist and national communist policies adopted by the regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu and specifically targeting some of Romania's ethnic minorities.[2] According to writer György Györfi-Deák, Ceaușescu "gave a hard time to the Hungarians", and Rusz personally was "harassed by the dictator's politruks and Securitate men".[2] After a short stay in Germany, Rusz settled in Budapest, Hungary, where she owned a villa.[2][5] She continued her activity, becoming a noted contributor to the Hungarian comic school[2][3] (with albums such as Miskati közbelép, "Miskati Intervenes").[3] The change was described by the artist herself as a difficult one: "Even plants will suffer when moved from one pot to another; it was not easy for me either to build up my new roots, but as long as forces permit me and I can still work it means I am alive."[1]

Cultural impact

In Romania itself, where she was among the few female comics artists,[3] Lívia Rusz has come to be described as a leading contributor to the genres she covered in her work. Györfi-Deák wrote: "throughout her long artistic career, Rusz Lívia has been leading us through an enchanted universe, depicted with unique sensitivity and grace, unveiling through drawings all that is beautiful and worthy in the world".[2] Noted by visual artist Arina Stonescu as one of the three main illustrators employed by Editura Ion Creangă (alongside Val Munteanu and Eugen Taru),[4] she drew particular critical attention for Childhood Memories. Deemed "legendary" by Györfi-Deák,[2] the volume also led Stonescu to write: "I often imagine the fascinating world of the storyteller Ion Creangă only populated by Livia Rusz's girls and boys in national costumes."[4]

Rusz was described as "the greatest creator of comic strips in Romania" by comics historiographer Dodo Niță,[5] who granted Mac and Cocofifi the second place in an all-time chart of Romanian comics.[6] Her activity under communism nevertheless coincided with a decline in the overall impact of Romanian comics: while exercising ideological control over the comic strip scene, the Romanian Communist Party reputedly preferred to invest in animation, seeing it as a more effective propaganda tool.[7] In this context, Rusz and Eugen Taru were among those who still produced comics able to reach the general public (a category which also included, according to one assessment, Ion Deak, Pompiliu Dumitrescu [ro], Puiu Manu, Vintilă Mihăescu [ro], Dumitru Negrea, and Ion Popescu-Gopo).[7] Her work in the field was also subject to a post-1989 revival in interest. It was a feature of reference works published in 1996 and 2005 by Dodo Niță, and the artist herself a special guest at the Romanian-Hungarian Comics Salon, organized in Budapest by the Romanian Cultural Institute.[2] Niţă also joined up with Ferenc Kiss to write and publish the first monograph on Rusz, which saw print in 2009. It included homage pieces from two of her fans, historian Adrian Cioroianu and writer-diplomat Mircea Opriță.[2] In reference to the artist's overall contribution, the latter noted: "In addition to talent, an artist specializing in graphic art for children needs to have an outstanding soul."[2]

Lívia Rusz first became known outside Hungary and Romania during the 1970s and '80s, when Mac or Cofofifi were translated into English, German, Russian and Spanish.[2] The 1980s version of the two volumes were published in countries of the Eastern Bloc and beyond (in Hungary, East Germany and Cuba).[3] While the Tolkien edition registered much success in Romania,[8] it became internationally known only in the decades after 1989, when Rusz's illustrations were republished by Douglas A. Anderson.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e (in Romanian) "Pro-Eminențe. Lívia Rusz: Prezentare", in Pro-Scris Archived 2009-08-20 at the Wayback Machine webzine, Nr. 2/2004; retrieved August 18, 2009
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab (in Romanian) György Györfi-Deák, "Cu ochii copiilor, pentru bucuria lor" Archived 2011-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, in Caiete Silvane Archived 2011-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, June 2009
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Livia Rusz (b. 28/9/1930, Romania)", entry in Lambiek's Comiclopedia; retrieved August 18, 2009
  4. ^ a b c Arina Stoenescu, "All Those Images", in the Romanian Cultural Institute's Plural Magazine Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, Nr. 30/2007
  5. ^ a b (in Romanian) Vali Ivan, "Lumea copiilor de altădată" (interview with Dodo Niță) Archived 2007-12-14 at the Wayback Machine, in Jurnalul Naţional, June 2, 2007
  6. ^ (in Romanian) Ioana Calen, "Cărtărescu e tras în bandă – Provocarea desenată"[permanent dead link], in Cotidianul, June 13, 2006
  7. ^ a b (in Romanian) Adrian Grama, Vlad Stoicescu, "Rahan și Pif, scăpați de comunism", in Evenimentul Zilei, June 28, 2008
  8. ^ (in Romanian) Adina Popescu, "Literatura imaginarului" Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, in Dilema Veche, Vol. III, Nr. 115, April 2006

Further reading

Dodo Niță, Kiss Ferenc, Livia Rusz – o monografie, editura MJM Argonaut Craiova, 2009.

Read other articles:

أدوز تقسيم إداري البلد المغرب  الجهة طنجة تطوان الحسيمة الإقليم الحسيمة الدائرة تارجيست الجماعة القروية بني بونصر المشيخة بني بونصار السكان التعداد السكاني 131 نسمة (إحصاء 2004)   • عدد الأسر 21 معلومات أخرى التوقيت ت ع م±00:00 (توقيت قياسي)[1]،  وت ع م+01:00 (توقيت صيفي)[...

 

У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Энджел. Французский ангел от имени английского короля Генриха VI Энджел короля Генриха VIII Энджел, или Ангел (англ. Angel) — золотая монета, выпускавшаяся во Франции и Англии. Первый энджел с изображением ангела был отчекан

 

Obsolete district in Massachusetts, US MA 20 redirects here. The term may also refer to Massachusetts Route 20. Massachusetts's 20th congressional districtObsolete districtCreated1813Eliminated1820Years active1813–1821 Massachusetts's 20th congressional district is an obsolete district. During its short tenure of 1813–1821 it was located in the District of Maine, prior to Maine achieving statehood. List of members representing the district Representative Party Years ↑ Congress Electoral...

Railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line Primrose Hill Tunnel1837 watercolour engraving of the eastern portal before duplicationOverviewLineWest Coast Main LineLocationPrimrose Hill, Camden, London, EnglandSystemNational RailOperationWork begun1834Opened1838OwnerNetwork RailTechnicalDesign engineerRobert Stephenson and William BuddenLength1,164 yards (1,064 m)No. of tracksDouble track in each boreTrack gaugeStandard gaugeElectrified25 kV AC OHLE Listed Building – Grade IIOfficial nam...

 

Regering-Cooreman Regeringsleider Gerard Cooreman Coalitie ​ Katholieke Partij ​ Liberale Partij ​ BWP Zetels Kamer 184 van 186 (2 juni 1912) Premier Gerard Cooreman Aantreden 31 mei 1918 Einddatum 21 november 1918 Voorganger De Broqueville II Opvolger Delacroix I Portaal    België De regering-Cooreman (31 mei 1918 - 21 november 1918) was een Belgische regering van nationale eenheid. Ze volgde de oorlogsregering-De Broqueville II op en werd kort na de Wapenstilsta...

 

Campeonato Mundial de Ciclismo em Pista de 2011 Lista de participantes Perseguição individual masculino feminino Keirin masculino feminino Omnium masculino feminino Corrida por pontos masculino feminino Scratch masculino feminino Velocidade masculino feminino Contrarrelógio masculino feminino Perseguição por equipes masculino feminino Velocidade por equipes masculino feminino Madison masculino   Esta caixa: verdiscutireditar Esta é uma lista de participantes do Campeonato Mundial d...

Asam Galat Nama Nama IUPAC 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid Nama lain Gallic acidGallate3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate Penanda Nomor CAS 149-91-7 N Model 3D (JSmol) Gambar interaktif 3DMet {{{3DMet}}} Nomor EC PubChem CID 370 Nomor RTECS {{{value}}} CompTox Dashboard (EPA) DTXSID0020650 SMILES Oc1cc(cc(O)c1O)C(O)=O Sifat Rumus kimia C7H6O5 Massa molar 170.12 g/mol Penampilan Putih, putih-kekuningan atau kristal berwarna coklat-kekuningan pucat. Densitas 1.7 g/cm3 (anhidrat) Titi...

 

Este artigo ou secção necessita de referências de fontes secundárias fiáveis e independentes. Fontes primárias, ou com conflitos de interesse, não são adequadas para verbetes enciclopédicos. Ajude a incluir referências.—Encontre fontes: ABW  • CAPES  • Google (N • L • A) (Maio de 2020) Secretaria da Cultura, Economia e Indústria Criativas Rua Mauá, 51 Luz São Paulo, SPwebsite oficial Criação 16 de março de 1979...

 

Caves in Algeria Gueldaman cavesAdrar Gueldamanlocation in AlgeriaAlternative nameGueldaman prehistoric siteLocationSoummam Valley, Béjaïa Province, AlgeriaRegionKabylia, Tell AtlasCoordinates36°27′N 4°33′E / 36.450°N 4.550°E / 36.450; 4.550TypecaveLength7 km (4.3 mi)Height898 m (2,946 ft)HistoryMaterialJurassic limestonePeriodsMesolithic, NeolithicAssociated withPaleo-humansSite notesExcavation dates1926, 2010, 2012Archaeol...

American college football season 2014 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers footballBahamas Bowl championBahamas Bowl, W 49–48 vs. Central MichiganConferenceConference USADivisionEast DivisionRecord8–5 (4–4 C-USA)Head coachJeff Brohm (1st season)Offensive coordinatorTyson Helton (1st season)Offensive schemeMultipleDefensive coordinatorNick Holt (2nd season)Base defense4–3Home stadiumHouchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium(Capacity: 22,113)Seasons← 201...

 

Autonomous province defined by the Constitution of Serbia This article is about the autonomous province of Serbia on the territory of the partially recognized state of Kosovo. For the Yugoslav province, see Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo. For the interim United Nations administration over the province, see United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. For Kosovo as an independent country, see Kosovo. For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). Autonomous province in Serbi...

 

Television station in Afghanistan Television channel Ayna TVTypeSatellite television networkCountryAfghanistanProgrammingLanguage(s)Uzbek, TurkmenHistoryLaunched2004ClosedFebruary 16, 2022AvailabilityTerrestrialAnalog channel 2 (VHF) in Kabul Ayna Television (تلويزيون آينه, also romanized Aiena Television) was the first commercial television station broadcasting from Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan, starting in 2004 until 2022. The name Ayna means mirror in Uzbek. It aired entertainmen...

Mac FisheriesTypePrivate company, SubsidiaryIndustryRetailFounded1918Defunct1979FateDisposed/ClosedSuccessorInternational StoresHeadquartersBracknell, Berkshire, UKKey peopleWilliam Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (founder)ParentUnilever (1922–1979)SubsidiariesMac Food Centres, Premier Supermarkets Mac Fisheries was a branded United Kingdom retail chain of fishmongers, founded by William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, the co-founder with his brother of Lever Brothers, which later merged to ...

 

Motor vehicle Datsun Type 17Datsun Model 17 PhaetonOverviewManufacturerDatsun/NissanModel years1938-unknownAssemblyJapanBody and chassisBody stylePhaeton, roadster, coupe, sedanLayoutFR layoutPowertrainEngine722 cc (44.1 in3) Type 7 I4Transmission3 speed manualDimensionsWheelbase2,005 mm (78.9 in)Length3,187 mm (125.5 in)Width1,190 mm (46.9 in)Curb weight630 kg (1,390 lb)ChronologyPredecessorDatsun Type 16SuccessorDatsun DA The ...

 

Anna RogstadAnna Rogstad in 1912Born(1854-07-26)26 July 1854Nordre Land, NorwayDied8 November 1938(1938-11-08) (aged 84)NationalityNorwegianOccupation(s)Politician, Educator, SuffragistKnown forNorway's first female member of Parliament Anna Georgine Rogstad (26 July 1854 – 8 November 1938) was a Norwegian politician, women's rights activist and educator. A member of the conservative-liberal Liberal Left Party, she was Norway's first female Member of Parliament.[a] A teacher b...

Najim Jihad (نجم الجهاد; also Nazim Jihad,[1] Abu Mahajin,[2] Najim al Jihad complex[3]) is the name given to a housing compound outside Jalalabad, Afghanistan, which is the former home of Osama bin Laden and approximately 250 followers.[1] With internal plumbing,[4] the compound was formally located in Hadda.[5] In 1997, the Canadian NGO leader Ahmed Khadr began visiting Bin Laden in Nazim Jihad, and the following year his family moved...

 

La clasificación de carreteras es la distinta tipología de vías (en función del número de carriles, diseño geométrico, ancho de la calzada, tráfico) que existe dentro de la red vial de un territorio. En general todos los países consideran una primera categoría de vías con tráficos nacionales y otra categoría de vías secundarias con tráficos comarcales (entre pueblos de la misma comarca) o tráficos locales. Con la aparición de las vías de doble calzada a principios del siglo&...

 

Boffo GamesTypeDefunctIndustryVideo gamesFoundedFebruary 1994[1]DefunctFall 1997[1]Key peopleSteve Meretzky Mike Dornbrook Leo DaCostaWebsiteboffo.us Boffo Games was a video game developer founded in 1994 by Steve Meretzky, Mike Dornbrook, and Leo DaCosta. The logo was designed by Gayle Syska, formerly of Infocom. Boffo produced two games, Hodj 'n' Podj and The Space Bar, before closing its doors in 1997. Hodj 'n' Podj was originally designed for Media Vision but it divested a...

Indian actor Kartikeya GummakondaGummakonda in 2019Born (1992-09-21) 21 September 1992 (age 31)[1]Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana), IndiaAlma materNIT WarangalOccupationActorYears active2017–presentSpouse Lohitha Reddy ​(m. 2021)​ Kartikeya Gummakonda (born 21 September 1992) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu films. He made his acting debut in 2017 with Prematho Mee Karthik and is noted for his performance in th...

 

Aviation museum in Dover Air Force BaseAir Mobility Command MuseumAerial view of the museumLocation in DelawareFormer nameDover AFB Historical CenterDover AFB MuseumEstablished13 October 1986 (1986-10-13)LocationDover Air Force BaseCoordinates39°07′07″N 75°27′24″W / 39.118692°N 75.456643°W / 39.118692; -75.456643TypeAviation museumFounderGeneral Walter KrossMike LeisterDirectorJohnny Taylor[1]Websiteamcmuseum.orgBuilding 1301U.S. Nati...

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!