In 2013, on May 24, it was 110 years since the inauguration of the princely and royal residence, Pelişor Castle.
Pelișor Castle was built between 1899-1902, at the command of King Carol I, as the residence of the crown princes, Ferdinand and Maria, by the Czech architect, Karel Liman (1855-1929).
Inaugurated a year later, on May 24, 1903, the castle preserves the poignant memory of the one who would become, a few years later, the queen of all Romanians, Queen Maria, of King Ferdinand "the unifier of the nation" and of their children.
In the Inaugural Act of the castle painted by Princess Maria on parchment, against a background of a bouquet of white and yellow irises and crosses ennobled with pearls of dew, it is recorded:
“We, Carol I, King of Romania, built this house next to the towering Peleș Castle for our beloved grandchildren. Consecrated by the church to bring the blessing of heaven, we, Ferdinand, Prince of Romania with Maria, Princess, welcomed into this new building, with grateful hearts and full of love. We entered with our children, Carol, Elisaveta and Maria, in the year of salvation 1903, and of the reign of King Carol the 37th, on May 24. We named it Pelișor.”
The Inauguration celebration was attended, according to the signatures on this act, by monarchs and crown princes, ladies of honor of the Royal Court, architect Liman, archimandrite Nifon, senior officers of the Romanian army, personalities from the political and cultural world, and numerous locals.
Queen Mary would later recall the event in The Story of My Life, vol. II, page 288:
“When my second son, Niculae (August 15, 1903, Sinaia — d. June 9, 1978, Lausanne) -our fourth child-, we left our first home in Sinaia, Foisorul, a charming house, hidden among giant fir trees, right up on the edge of the forest.
I had been very fond of this first nest of ours; it was an idyllic dwelling. Although the years spent under its roof had not all been peace and happiness, it was precisely the place to which anyone's heart could cling; it had small low balconies along the facade and doors that opened straight into the forest. It had now become too small for our ever-growing family, so Uncle prepared for us a much more spacious house, Pelişorul, where I still live now, when I am in Sinaia."
This important celebration in the life of the princely couple was immortalized by the German painter Gustav Adolf Closs in a watercolor, titled "Inauguration of Pelişor Castle".
Gustav Adolf Closs (1864 -1938) studied, starting in 1887, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he had Wilhelm von Diez (1839-1907) as his teacher. According to Diez's teachings, Closs would emphasize in his creation, especially on light and color. The young man was not influenced by the Art 1900 movement, which had begun to penetrate the Munich creative workshops, he would have a clear predilection for realistic, authentic and very detailed representation, "which should imitate life as naturally as possible". He preferred, for his works, the rendering of rather insignificant figures, simple people, in typical situations of their daily life. Even during his student days, the future artist was fascinated by the world of mythology and mysterious German stories. Around 1888, Closs illustrated several publications, including a group of woodcuts for an anthology of German ballads. After completing his studies in 1891, he settled in Stuttgart, his hometown.
The paintings created from this point on show a preference for historical themes. He was appreciated for the illustrations in the historical novel Lichtenstein by the German Wilhelm Hauff, for those in Homer's Odyssey, or for the precious drawings in the novel The Slave Caravan by the writer Karl May.
Closs was one of the most sought-after illustrators and, starting in 1897, for 20 years he signed the caricatures for the magazine Fliegenden Blätter (Flying Leaves), a very popular satirical journal of the Empire.
Other significant works for which he became known were the monumental murals at the German castle of Schöckingen (Baden-Württemberg), made in the period 1892/1893, and those on the north side of the Swiss castle of Rapperswil, from around 1896.
Closs's passion for history and the detailed design of military portraits brought him closer to heraldry. Introduced to this science by Baron Kurt Seutter of Lotzen, he worked closely with his friend Friedrich Freiherr von Gaisberg in Schöckingen until the end of his life. He became a knight of the George Württemberg Association and later one of Europe's most renowned experts in the science of heraldry. The club was founded by German nobles to keep the country's history alive and to preserve legitimate interest in the rare profession of heraldry.
Between 1918 and 1934, Closs became editor of the magazine German Heraldry.
Always inclined towards everything that belonged to the history of his people, towards the prominent personalities of the era, Adolf Closs became a close friend of the family of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, creating a gallery of portraits for him. Gustav Adolf Closs also executed several works for King Carol I of Romania and Princess Maria.
Throughout his life, the painter received numerous medals in recognition of his artistic activity, of which we note: in 1897, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Art and Science of the Order of Friedrich of Württemberg, and in May 1905 he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Royal Order of Friedrich of Württemberg, 1st class.
The heritage of the Peleş National Museum preserves two works by the German painter: The Inauguration of Pelişor Castle and A Fairytale Scene.
The inauguration of Pelişor Castle is a watercolor created in bright tones depicting the celebration of May 24, 1903, when the heirs of the Sinaia dynasty received the Pelişor Castle as a gift from King Carol I. The balanced composition is animated by characters who participated in the festive moment of the inauguration: in the foreground, a worker from the royal estate in Sinaia, dressed in folk costume, who, holding his hat in his hand, watches the military guard on horseback pass by, followed by the royal cortege in a carriage. In the background is Pelişor Castle, outlined against a forest landscape. The image seems photographic, a slight hint of whiteness gives the atmosphere freshness. Closs manages to create a delicate transparency by using a spontaneous chromatic palette of green, gray tones, blue, and reddish browns.
The second work is a watercolor entitled Fairytale Scene, dated 1902, probably an illustration created for storybooks. Closs brings to life the life story of Elisabeth of Thuringia (1207-1231), a character with a vocation for the apostolate and self-sacrifice, who together with her husband, Ludwig IV, Duke of Thuringia, had chosen the motto Piety, Purity, Justice for the coat of arms of the duchy. In the foreground of the composition is an old pilgrim kneeling, accompanied by his dog, asking for alms from Elisabeth, a medieval royal character haloed by a luminous halo, carrying in her arms a jug covered with a towel, which she will give to the old man. Behind her is the small entourage: a young princess with long, blond hair, a Franciscan nun in monastic robes and two more less visible characters. In the background, in a diffused light, the feudal castle Wartburg in Eisenach (Thuringia) rises on a rock. The weathered stone cross, which is located behind the pilgrim, enhances the mystery and charm of the scene. The chosen historical theme, the impeccable line of the drawing and the pastel colors are specific qualities of the work of the painter GACloss.
As for the work of the painter Closs, it is not the image itself that excites, but the details, each drawn line, the vague or very clearly outlined landscape, the painting becoming, in the end, the imprint, not of a visionary artist, but of a man who sees what he needs to see. But from seeing what he needs to express exactly is a long path, a journey of experience, experience that helps the artist to outline a real world.