This Sculptor Bends Metal Wire Into Incredible Sculptures Of Historical Figures

Darius Hulea is an artist from Romania known for his masterful portraits made from iron, stainless steel, copper and brass wires. The artist successfully combines elements of both contemporary and classical art to bring his sculptures to life. Using industrial materials, Darius molds them into recognizable portraits of famous historical figures. He depicts Romanian artists, philosophers, poets and other prominent figures alike.

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Darius got interested in art when he found inspiration in the folk crafts, in the village where he grew up. The artist's grandmother and great grandmother both wove traditional Romanian geometric fabrics. He was also influenced by his grandfather, who gave Darius insight into industrial materials, as he worked with agricultural tools and was a wood craftsman. Thus, the sculptor translated his influences and inspirations into making sculptures, where he could combine all the elements.

While Darius' artwork is considered contemporary because of the materials used and the execution itself, his sculptures are rooted in the principals of classical drawing. His work seems as if they are sketches that were left unfinished with room for interpretation. The metal wires greatly resemble strokes of a pencil and the artist successfully converts them into tangible 3D forms. Art critic and curator Oliv Mircea says that the artwork of Darius is “never lacking vigor and veracity and has a certain and well-known elegance that resides in expression and style that is the result of the sculptor’s observational force and artistic analysis."

The Romanian artist finds artistic freedom by working with metal, as it is a material that has almost no limitations. It can be bent, reshaped and altered in many ways so that Darius is free to create his portraits in any way he likes. "The portrait gallery does not explain or tell in any way the metaphysical dimension of the heroic existence of each of the persons portrayed, does not explain a being because explaining a being means abolishing it, reducing it to nothing but making it true by putting something from the glorious nature of the one who embodies them," Darius told the media.

“I hope that people will understand that I do nothing but draw in a new way, in a durable material of the past. I can then explore and research, as an artist, mythical, Renaissance, and modern thinking by finding three-dimensional examples that describe us now in a history of the past,” the contemporary Romanian artist shared with the media.