I think most cities have a river running through them. Especially old towns, because the inhabited areas have always been near water. So has Bucharest in Romania. Here two rivers are running through the city. The first, Colentina, has been transformed into a series of lakes by successive impoundments. Most of these lakes are included in various parks.
The other river, called Dambovita, is the city's main river. Unfortunately, it is not well developed, it looks more like a canal...
I took a walk along the river.
It was a short walk. My interest was piqued by the park near the river, at a place called Izvor (spring). It's the park next to the famous city building which houses the Romanian Parliament.
Now it wasn't the park that was so interesting, it was the fence.
On the fence, I saw a series of photos...
In that area of the boulevard, there is a bus stop.
It would seem that I have discovered an open-air exhibition, located near a place where people gather and wait for buses.
Unfortunately, nobody seems to be interested in this photo exhibition...
Then, to save the lost honor of the city's inhabitants insensitive to photographic art and because I am a photography lover, I approached the exhibits, crossing the street through an unauthorized place. Fortunately, I was not caught by cars or the traffic police.
Getting close enough to read, I found out that the exhibits are the photographs of a Romanian photographer who lived and photographed in the early part of the last century.
Iosif Berman
Iosif Berman was born in Burdujeni [ro], near Suceava to a Jewish father who had been awarded Romanian citizenship for participating in the 1877 Romanian War of Independence.
His photographs were published in all the major Romanian newspapers of the time and also in The New York Times and National Geographic, being a correspondent of the Associated Press and Scandinavian Newspaper Press.source
Exhibitions and museums are made for us to learn something.
The same happened with this exhibition. I learned about this photographer, who I didn't even know existed. The first important photographer in Romania was the first photographer who did photojournalism.
I was able to see some of Berman's photographs. I was impressed by their beauty. Photographs from the early twentieth century, monochrome, of course.
Now, for you, the photographs!
The photos are as displayed on the park fence, sidewalk, and near the bus stop. The display in an unconventional and unprotected place is due to the unfortunate fact that people are not used to visiting photo exhibitions, people don't go to museums.
The idea of bringing the museum to the street is a good one. Even if most passers-by didn't seem interested... it's impossible that something didn't stick to their retinas.
Taking a closer look I noticed the following...
These photos belong to the photographer's daughter, Luiza Berman. What is on display are copies of the original photos, which is perfectly normal. I didn't manage to photograph in a unified and correct way, I photographed somewhat in a hurry and seemingly afraid of the presence of people looking at me with curiosity.
I have tried to enlarge and arrange the photos to be more easily viewed and evaluated.
Iosif Berman was the photographer of Dimitrie Gusti, a Romanian sociologist and ethnographer. Thanks to them we can know and see how Romania was in the first part of the 20th century, especially the rural part of the country.
Iosif Berman was not only the first authentic photojournalist in Romania but also the photographer to whom we owe the most valuable photographic documents made during the sociological campaigns coordinated by Dimitrie Gusti. source
I had the surprise and the pleasure to see what a place I frequent every week in the Old Centre of Bucharest looks like.
Stavropoleus Monastery, which has been in this place for 300 years.
I also found what appears to be the first color photo.
It couldn't have been from that era! It's just a hole in a photo, a sign that not all viewers appreciate photography, or rather art, in general!
Being a photographer in those days was not easy, that's why there were very few of them. All my respect to Iosif Berman!
In 1946, the Syndicate of Journalists instituted in his memory the "Iosif Berman" Prize for the best photographic reportage. Another tribute is the text "In memory of the photojournalist" signed by Geo Bogza, who knew and appreciated him: "Would you like me to make a confession? I became a reporter for the sake of Berman's photographs", Bogza was to declare. For "what is a report without photographs? Reporting is often done for the sake of interesting photographs, Berman's work being of a rare innovation in the Romanian press. Berman has made the transition from postcard-style photography to surprising new aspects of people and things.source
Paraphrasing what Geo Bogza said (he was a Romanian writer, journalist and poet, theoretician of the avant-garde, associated with the birth of the surrealist movement in Romania) and we can now say so:
"What is a blog without photographs?
It was a return to the past which marked me and I liked it very much, as well as the talent of Joseph Berman.
The return to the present I liked less...
