Ciprian Istrate

Ciprian Istrate was born on July 16, 1970, in Piatra Neamț. He graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology "Dumitru Stăniloae," Iași, with a degree in Religious Painting and Sacred Art.

He organized and opened personal exhibitions at: the French Cultural Center, Piatra Neamț (1996), the "Top Art" Galleries, Piatra Neamț (2003, 2005), the "Vert" Galleries, Piatra Neamț (2004), the Ecumenical Center, Durău (2004), the "Ana" Gallery, Bucharest (2007), and the "Lascăr Vorel" Galleries, Piatra Neamț (2008).

He has created paintings and iconostases for several churches in the counties of Iași, Suceava, Bacău, Neamț, and Harghita, including the Lipovan Church in Piatra Neamț.

He was awarded the "Cuvioasa Parascheva" distinction by the Romanian Patriarchy (1999), the "Stephanus Magnus Defensor Fidei Cristiane" distinction, Iași (2002), and the Special Award at the "Lascăr Vorel" Art Biennale, Piatra Neamț (2007).

Regarding the artist from Neamț, art critic Valentin Ciucă says: "The young painter Ciprian Istrate, honored with distinguished awards for the quality of the religious paintings he creates, for his revitalization of the old Byzantine canons, seeks in easel painting a detachment and the assumption of imagination as a form of freedom. From this perspective, compensatorily, he explores the dimension of the imaginary and composes scenes drawn from the void through laborious fiction. The dominant hues of his paintings, in emerald blue or black, position only a few elements with metaphorical meaning. What animates such compositions is the anticipation of the other, the fascinating explosion of light in the field of the image, seen as a miracle. The symbolic suggestion of the heart points both to the soul and to the dimension of life, of sanguinity as a vital and positive element. A "Self-Portrait," created using mixed techniques, photography, and color, expresses possible releases and the permanent theme of man's liberation through knowledge. The imaginary makes him see beyond the horizon and honor, through metaphor, the objects of immediate reality."