History and Curiosity

Lia Jonescu

I was born in Rome, right in the heart of medieval and Renaissance Rome, near Campo de Fiori, opposite Piazza Giulia and a stone's throw from the Capitoline Hill. Moreover, in a 16th-century house with all the requisite features. In the large courtyard stood a large fountain from the Bernini school, hiding a high wall that served as a passageway to the small passage that led to Palazzo Santa Croce. The place, the atmosphere, and my parents' love for art, culture, and Rome, have influenced my studies and beyond. I became a teacher of Art History and Drawing after going through variousexperiences, including Architecture. But in life, besides teaching, which I still do, I have done other jobs that have shaped me towards life. I've had many exhibitions and even won awards, but despite the dissent of those close to me, I abandoned this world where one had to accept compromises and intellectual prostitution. But I've never stopped being myself. My paintings, my art forgeries, my Indian ink drawings, are all over the world. I've made so many of them. Some of my works have been eaten, others I've given away. Never, I repeat, never, sold off. I feel a bit like a blood donor who, once he starts, is physiologically obligated to donate. Well, I am physiologically obligated to paint, draw, and write.