Art Criticism
CRITICAL TEXTS ABOUT THE CREATION OF THE ARTIST MARINELA RUSU
Editor Anca CHEAITO, "Violet between mystery and revelation in the painting of Marinela Rusu: an essay about the beauty of a color and its deep symbolism in contemporary art", in Rev. "Romanian Orient", no. 32/2025:
"The artist's approach resonates with the idea of art as meditation, as an act of knowing oneself and the world beyond appearances. Violet, in this key, becomes a channel of communication with the unseen, with everything that escapes reason but pulsates in the emotional and intuitive depths of the being. ...Marinela Rusu chooses the opposite path: a path of subtlety, of nuance, of mystery. Violet is, in her painting, the expression of this aesthetic and existential choice. It does not impose itself; it invites. Looking at the works of Marinela Rusu, we discover not only a talented painter, who understands that the true strength of art lies in the emotion provoked - and purple is the perfect color to convey this deep, mysterious emotion."
Art critic Irina IORGA:
"Marinela Rusu is an artist of strength, an artist who operates with multiple types of agglutination - you can see different material elements that are brought together on the surface of her works. The mixed technique used is not only an instrumental one - I am convinced that it is also an intellectual one, expressing the coming together of different domains, of different worlds present on the same canvas. We also observe a happy chromatic meeting of the very strong forms that we see present here." (Jan. 2026)
Editor Irina IOSIP – ”Marinela Rusu's Inner Journeys", in Rev. "Arte si Societate", no. 8/2024:
https://saltandpepperm.blogspot.com/2024/01/ana-maria-iorga-geometrisme-lirice.html?fbclid=IwAR1Ge7X75QXohHprj0Zgloiil9FOdEj2BY-0KDgzaeLukOsTCzQWLhnYOvY
"Marinela RUSU's works are like a warm, firm, strong, loving embrace, from the grip of which you come out convinced of the psychological power of the colors and pictorial harmonies and, above all, conquered by the ambience offered: solar, welcoming, by a certain condescending reflexivity. The abundance of colors and shapes and, as such, of feelings and experiences impose on the viewer high psychic and mental tones, they become aware of the presence and power of art and the personality of the artist.
Marinela Rusu looks you straight in the eye, with sincerity, while her gestures, often impetuous, are non-invasive and non-discriminatory. It works with and through those inner energies of the conscious and subconscious which spiritually mobilize and ennoble human beings. At the same time, it makes us aware of our inner tumults, the depth and complexity of our feelings and the inability to decipher, sometimes, their meanings, being overwhelmed by their intensity. Surfaces painted in thick, pasty strokes sometimes take sculptural forms like bas-reliefs on paper, and more often, glazed layers of color overlap tumultuously. The creation of voltes, which always change their allure and direction, or the encapsulation of patches of color. Structures overlap one another, if not slide voluptuously, one past the other. Probably, the inner tendencies of perfection psychologically lead the artist's hand in desThe atmosphere created by Marinela Rusu's exhibitions is like the Greek landscapes, adopted by the artist years ago through marriage, where everything is bathed in a uniform, strong light and a warmth in which the person plunges overwhelmed, being, at the same time, incited by the persistent mixture of tastes and smells: the salty - spicy of the sea and the rough-hot, slightly abrasive sand. In the paintings of Marinela Rusu as there, deep blue-green "nights" contrast, resting, softening the increased pulse of torrid sequences."
Editor Anca CHEAITO, "Intense emotion and color in the art of Marinela Rusu", in Rev. "Orient Romanian", Sept./2022:
https://orientromanesc.ro/2022/09/18/emotie-intensa-si-culoare-arta-marinelei-rusu/
"The artist and, at the same time, the psychologist Marinela Rusu, member of the Union of Plastic Artists from Romania, Iași Branch, present in numerous magazines nationally and internationally with the works she has created, present on simes in numerous personal and group exhibitions, a multi-prized artist in the country and abroad, is undoubtedly among the valuable expressionists of the contemporary artistic world... The expressionism of Marinela Rusu, artist and psychologist, leaves a strong and well-defined imprint. Simplicity the apparent depth and beauty of her creations. Her art conveys a different magic, whether we are connoisseurs or not, offering us a new world full of colors and emotions. To talk about the artist's works is to talk about an art of renewal, intuition and emotion. That is why a specific subjectivity is reflected in her works through the preferred tones of blue - very ingenious, some more transparent, others more dense, more consistent and the tones of purple which are approached in various and surprising chromatic interferences. In her works, the chromatic structures proposed are not the plastic equivalents of the real or the conceptual, but are lyrical abstractions, connected to an inner world that we, as viewers, strive to decipher. Using surprising chromatic harmonies, brought together by a technique always exciting, the artist prefers to bring moods into her art, more than the reality of the outside world. This emotional and spontaneous approach to expressionist art encourages the artist's use of intense colors, accentuated by shapes that suggest movement, expansion, but also symbols and metaphors.
The expressionism of Marinela Rusu is the art seen from the inside, it is poetry, in which the rhythms and movements of the creative process are expressed with intensity. The viewer thus discovers or rediscovers a precious and fascinating material that shows to what extent the true subject of creation is, in fact, art itself, and to what limits artists often push their mental adventure. When exhibiting a painting, Marinela Rusu aims to say – Here I am, here I am present, here is my soul, here I am myself. Preoccupied with geometric abstraction, she is nevertheless passionate about the different ways of expressing the unconscious, the abysmal level of creation, in order to create a universal language, understandable by all. The color palette used, shades of purple and blue, lead us to dreams and escape. It is difficult to remain unmoved in front of a canvas that belongs to her. The artist's works awaken emotions hidden deep within us and disturb through vivid colors, like a thought that has marked its time and overwhelms the viewer with its own vibrations.
Prof. dr. Ana-Irina IORGA – ”GEOMETRISME LIRICE”, in Rev. online "Salt & Pepper Magazine"
hhttps://saltandpepperm.blogspot.com/2024/01/ana-maria-iorga-geometrisme-lirice.html?fbclid=IwAR1Ge7X75QXohHprj0Zgloiil9FOdEj2BY-0KDgzaeLukOsTCzQWLhnYOvY
"Chromaticity is used to support messages addressed exclusively to the intellect: golden shades of red and green for abstract concepts, mineral blue series that alternate calorically for analytical and synthetic judgments, violet-blue-orange complementarities that facilitate perception, or red-green-yellow that train emotions." Neolithic spirals of life, Orphic leaves-talismans of those descending into other worlds, Cézanne fruits, Chagallian suns. Flight is also present, like the flight of Icarus, the flight of the Little Prince among the planets or of a kite from a universal childhood. A semantic universe that flirts with lyrical geometries."
Art critic Angello RIBEZZI in "Enciclopedia dei Contemporanei dell’Arte", Collezione delle tendenze artistiche, Biographical page, Ad Art, Italy, 2022, p. 46. (e-bousquet.com)
"Marinela Rusu is a well-known Romanian artist, her artistic creations are extraordinary chromatic explosions - of warm and cold colors - the use of purple and blue being one of her recognizable characteristics, as well as the stylization of the forms and subjects represented. M. Rusu's artistic evolution was definitely influenced by the studies carried out in the field of psychology, her works are introspective and exploratory, deep and touch on complex issues such as "The Liberation of Femininity" - showing how a woman refuses to surrender to fragility and ultimately frees herself from cultural and social stereotypes and from her own self-doubt, emerging triumphant and free".
Univ. Prof. Constantin TOFAN, "Art Review", in Rev. Leviathan,April 10, 2021, Bucharest.
https://leviathan.ro/marinela-rusu-gandirea-si-inspiratia-conlucreaza-in-crearea-unei-opere-de-arta/
"At Marinela Rusu we find a coagulation of the works, they are all unified, there is no discrepancy between them. The paintings reflect a strong person and her personality emerges from these works, in the forms and themes addressed, in the dynamics of her pictorial abstractions. The touches are strong and in the chromatic chapter, expressiveness is the one that dominates." "The exhibition highs and lows, original and anchored in the current reality, it is only a continuation of the exhibition successes of the author. We find here, the same special chromatic sense, contrasts of the "Marinela Rusu" brand, while the purple and blue tones are unmistakable. Her creative style is already defined and recognizable. This time, the artist comes with sources of inspiration from the plant world and the realm of metamorphosis. Her paintings present us with a series of interesting interpretations, taken beyond reality, thus creating a special, fascinating and colorful world. Ideas, concepts, abstractions, all build a special vision of the world, marked by metaphysical meanings, self-searching and overcoming one's own existential perplexities. She has also changed the scale of the paintings, which now acquire a certain monumentality, but their strength lies in the chromatics, in this labyrinth through which they take us from one work to another."
Art critic Dr. Mirela ȘTEFĂNESCU - Opening - Dec. 23 2021:
https://visit.virtualartgallery.com/art/?lang=en
"The artist Marinela Rusu explores new fields of communication, reflecting in her paintings subtleties that exceed the limits of reality, offering us an adventure in the spiritual world full of meanings. The subjects found in the works exhibited virtually are inspired by the sphere of metaphysics, but also from the daily register, composing a portal to the deep realm of emotions, thoughts, sensitivity. Recurring, in the expression of the plastic message, to a vast repertoire of symbols, Marinela Rusu emphasizes, on the one hand, the biographical aspects, reported in an introspective sense, and on the other hand, composes a picture of the current society marked by numerous challenges."
Art critic Flavio De GREGORIO (Academia Santa Sara, 2017):
"The artistic research is depicted through effective tonal effects on the light, with the aim of respecting as best as possible the projections of the forms, in a sequence of cognitive reorderings, in which Marinela Rusu's art becomes an expressive sequentiality, oriented to establish the natural essence of things. The subject, considered in relation to the event, reveals a mimesis extraordinarily truthful in the face of objective metamorphosis, in which the vision is offered by the artist through an obvious wisdom and a coherent transfiguration of the surrounding natural environment."
Art critic Santo CAGLIOTTI (Vibo Valencia, Italia, 2016):
"It is the work of Marinela Rusu: in these paintings, Marinela Rusu continues her artistic research, manifesting a very strong, very material and dense painting style. In a certain sense, she is based on a solar symbol, although her representations diversify this strong symbol. We can also see here the way she treats the pictorial material. Some gestures on the canvas may seem somewhat informal, but they are not, because they always re-enter these figurative contexts. Thus, the artist refers to what we usually call "expressionism" and her creation is associated with a particular expressionism, somewhat different, less figurative and better inserted in the compositional, chromatic and thematic structure of her paintings."
Professor Dr. Constantin TOFAN – Vernisaj, 17 iulie, 2022:
"Marinela's works are similar but different... but what is very clear: there is a change in the construction, in the composition and the color is that of her soul, which we recognize as a style and as a force of expression. It is a very interesting exhibition, taken as a whole but also as each work separately; it prompts us to see where it started, who Marinela is - because, here, we find a self-portrait, sometimes happier sometimes sadder... when it refers to archeology or a landscape mysterious which, of course, she interpreted and expressed as a balanced composition."
"Marinela sends us to a world inspired by the marine, by plants. The birds and the abstract landscape are very beautiful and have a very strong structure, both through the paste that she models in a certain way but also through the compositional lines, which at first seem random but they are very well penciled on thirds or in the middle of the page. There are some paths that give balance to her compositions. At the same time, she is also inspired by geometric shapes - I have seen very beautiful works on triangles and circle. So, the artist masters geometric shapes but also interprets them wonderfully. We can say that each work awakens you to a different reality, to the subconscious, some are optimistic, others offer a special mystery - because the author takes us to an area of shades of blue, gray and purple, which she masters very well and thus creates a real therapy through art."
"The abstract compositions, present in the painting of Marinela Rusu, are very beautiful and have a strong structure, both through the paste that she models in a certain way but also through the compositional lines, which at first seem random but they are very well penciled on thirds or in the middle of the page. They are paths that give balance to her compositions. At the same time, she is also inspired by geometric shapes - I have seen very beautiful works on triangles and circles. So, the artist masters geometric shapes but and interprets wonderfully well... We can say that each work awakens you to another reality, to the subconscious, some are optimistic, others offer a special mystery - because the author takes us to an area of shades of blue, gray and purple, which she masters very well and thus creates a real therapy through art."
Univ. Prof. Dr. and critic of art, Petru BEJAN – Vernisaj, May 25, 2017:
"M. Rusu is a dynamic and involved artist who equally accesses the aesthetic but also the spiritual paradigm. Her paintings are full of vibrations, of aesthetic commitment. The artist prefers blue tones - very ingenious, some more transparent, others denser, more consistent and purple tones which are approached in various and surprising chromatic interferences. We find an aesthetic dimension but also a spiritual one, through her philosophical challenges (cosmic vibrations, the birth the cosmos, the music of the spheres).
Univ. Prof. Dr. Constantin TOFAN, "Subjective connections", in rev. "Old Chronicle", Iasi, no. 5, May, 2015, p. 16.
"The artist Marinela Rusu has the courage to approach both the portrait, the composition, and the landscape - even if the landscape is an interpreted one, a landscape of the soul, as the author actually wants it. She does not try to imitate something but only uses the opportunities to imagine, to transform an experience into abstract symbols and color. The characters are also characters of fantasy that appear to us as experiences or memories of the character. The exhibition emanates, through color and form, a perfect balance and it seems like a theatrical direction, in the sequence of the images and the colors. It seems like an interaction between the characters on the stage. The paintings communicate with each other, they transfer their tones delicately. The artist Marinela Rusu creates, both from the lines of the paintings and from their overlap on simese, a real composition, punctuated with centers of interest and with a complementary chromaticity."
Prezentare – Vernisaj, 29 oct. 2012 Art critic, Valentin CIUCĂ (ⴕ):
https://iasi.fest.ro/evenimente/expozitii/viziuni-abstracte-marinela-rusu
"The exhibition of the artist Marinela Rusu comes with more knowledge and freedom, with more creative imagination. It is, in a way, an atypical, original exhibition. This change of aesthetic paradigm - a successful experiment - makes her detach herself from the mundane, move into a transcendental zone, where things exist only in the ideal and possible way. The shapes in her paintings seem sculpted in the fine matter of colors (the support on which some "pyramids" are built) imaginary) and at the same time, it gives off a science of drawing that is the basis of any quality painting. The artist's exhibition is a friendly one, in the sense that it draws us into the fantastic game that exists autonomously in these creations. We find relatively synchronous "pairs" with complementary subjects, in which one calls to the other. In this pictorial space, quite remarkable energies have been gathered, in dialogue with color and essence contained in the images of the paintings. It is without a doubt an unctuous exhibition, with a finesse of the matter that ennobles it through form and content but also through the metaphor that is constantly reiterated in each of the paintings. Looking at them, I see a sidereal ballet, a movement in which the signs of time also appear. This constant search for self is the result of the personal experience of entering into dialogue with the universe.
Many of the paintings can be read as a light metaphor, ideal expressions of a vast sky, which can be that of Hellas or a Romanian space, in which flight is the metaphor of absolute freedom. We find in the artist's paintings symbols related to the inner being and, at the same time, the deep burns, through the touches that are produced almost like an autodafe (out of veneration for the Absolute) is a fervor of the brush in which you feel the internal combustion that transcends the immediate in the metaphysics of Bengal fires. All this gesture associates abstract ideas with concrete things of matter. The impulses in the touches of the artist Marinela Rusu, stir as if they demand to be freed from the strict canons of images, to rediscover the universe and reconfigure it in large, fresco surfaces. Here we find an imaginative construction in which the artist also reveals her femininity (but not an erotic one), but femininity as a sensitivity and possibility to carry creativity to the world. The paintings of Marinela Rusu obviously represent an original, mental construction, and I salute her intelligence and ability to innovate, to break out of the usual patterns.
It is an exhibition that really shines through the proposed values and the generosity of the "love letters" that she displayed in her exhibition, the artist Marinela Rusu means talent and devotion and a way of always being in the light. Although she entered into the Greek spirit, through her way of being and thinking, she remains a Romanian gifted for psychological and philosophical analysis and does us honor where she is. Such a man, such a talent, which we can decipher in all possible keys, deserves our joy and appreciation."
Researcher Dr. Ofelia HUȚUL, "Marinela Rusu - an artist in search of the abyssal mysteries of creation", in volume "Dimitrie Cantemir" Symposium, 2022:
"Marinela Rusu is a dynamic and involved artist, who equally accesses the aesthetic but also the spiritual paradigm. Her paintings are full of vibrations and aesthetic commitment. Her artistic style has become recognizable, with monumental aspects - through the large dimensions of her works in recent years. Characteristic of her work are the surprising variations of structures, combinations and compositions - created with various materials, mediated by a mixed-media technique that she uses with mastery. Beyond the aesthetic side, we find a spiritual side in Marinela Rusu's work, through her philosophical challenges (cosmic vibrations, the music of the spheres) but also of a psychological nature (the levels of consciousness, the unconscious, the individual transformation, etc.). mainly, the expressionistic plastic language, but we also recognize elements of cubism and surrealism, so this mix of styles offers diversity and freedom of interpretation. We can say that Marinela Rusu is a complex artist, with a special diversity in plastic expression, accessible to both the heart and the mind."
Art critic, Professor Dr. Mihai PĂSTRAGUȘ (ⴕ) (Nov. 2018):
"The exhibition "Portrait party at Picasso" reveals the fact that Marinela Rusu is the master of the artistic act. With her, she never separates her hand from consciousness. She is master of this art, she has a clear expressiveness, in favor of abstract arts. Her creation is linked to surrealism, as it appears in dreams, both day and night. Her creations can be characterized from multiple directions: vegetable, animal or that of metamorphoses, but the tendency is inspired by Freudianism, giving rise to the forms of the unconscious. Her interpretation of symbols gives her a special semiotics. I congratulate her on this special exhibition!"
