Seldon times a true artist is appreciated during their lifetime. We’ve all heard and read about many brilliant minds which drifted away, some in complete or partial anonymity, only to have, post mortem, their brilliance discovered, recognized and raised on the pedestal, which it deserved in the first place.
However, in the case of Maester Popa-Popas, fate had a different thing in mind. I’d like to think that this might be a sign of us, as a society, evolving towards recognizing greatness, in its truest form, though greatness might be here an understatement.
The sheer volume of the body of work put forth, and of course, the outstanding constant quality of everything he decided to create, made Stefan Popa — Popas, undeniably, a household name in the world of art, all across the world.
Discovering his work, to the untrained eye, it’s purely overwhelming, the countless international contests won, the hundreds of awards, distinctions… it would take pages upon pages to try to list every merit and achievement he received over the years. From UNESCO scholarships and awards, to the highest order of distinctions, as the ones receiving by the likes of Picasso or Dali, from breaking Guinness-book world records and setting new ones, only to break them once more…
While the creation of Maester Stefan Popa Popas were a world of their own, his genius wasn’t ignored by the real world, thus he was and still is being invited at prestigious events all across the globe, honoured by heads of state and members of the royal families alike, named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and praised by the Pope, what is there to say about this man …
It’s incredible to have discovered such a phenomenon, and just the notion of being a contemporary which such an incredible person boggles the mind at times. I wonder, in today’s digital age, I can only imagine how young people, who have all this, almost unlimited, access to information, will live the moment of coming across this unique and unbelievable artist.
I imagine it’s a bit like starting to read an incredible book from it’s middle, I’m sure you know that feeling, you want to jump at the start, to findout everything about the journey of the artist, his evolution, what makes him tic, but at the same time, you find yourself distracted by every little fascinating piece of information you stumble upon, jumping from one period to another.
And what’s incredible about the body of work of Maester Stefan Popa Popas, besides the unique view, it’s of course the imense contribution he already gave to the world and is still giving to this day.
by Moger Mer