Nucu Stan
Romanian, born 1955
BiographyIoan “Nucu” Stan (1955- ) grew up in a village in the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania, Romania, receiving a strict Orthodox upbringing despite the anti-religious fervor of the Communist regime. He began making tapestries out of straw as a teenager in Romania while training as a shoemaker. Straw work is a widespread traditional art form in Eastern Europe, incorporating geometric patterns with Orthodox iconography. His pictures reflect the importance of the church as the cultural and spiritual center for the community for thousands of years. After planning the overall design, Nucu cuts shapes from paper, glues the straw to these shapes, then cuts both layers precisely. Usually the shapes are small and geometric, especially the borders which are reminiscent of designs found in clothing, carpets or in wooden village gates. The shapes are then glued carefully to a cotton-covered piece of cardboard, according to the design he has composed. Although the materials he uses are common, Nucu is specific about their types and also their meanings. Oat or rye straw is softer and more golden than wheat; black Romanian cotton is preferable because it has just the right amount of shine and strength. The use of straw with its lustrous golden quality on a solid black background is intended to convey the solemnity of religious mystery. Nucu settled in Connecticut in 1990 after receiving permanent political asylum in the United States. His work has been exhibited and collected by galleries and churches in the Netherlands, the Washington, DC area, and in Connecticut where the Mayor’s office, Romanian churches, and the Connecticut Historical Society hold several of his straw pictures.
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