Mesendorf (staying at the Gasthaus) is a beautiful, Romanian rustic village with a winding lane up to the church and long views back across ‘green and pleasant lands’. A blacksmith – a vital part of life here – has a small hut at the back of a gated homestead. This was going to be special but a challenge; a dark space with hot, red coals generated by enormous bellows and an anvil subtly lit from a sturdy wooden door and a cobwebby window. It was mesmerising to watch this man bend and shape metal …thrusting it into the fire . . . hammering it . . . deftly wrapping it around the anvil . . . holding it to the light . . . !! It felt important to capture this wondrous alchemy and the obvious passion for his trade. This other world where, for a brief moment, that red light lit his face marvelling at the dexterity of his huge hands before . . . hissing and sizzling and choking smoke obscuring the ‘treasure’!
portrait of a Roma blacksmith
Hot forged iron quenched in oil sending up a cloud of steam
It was difficult not to think of the cost. Andy’s grandfather was a blacksmith. As a young man, Grandpa Will had lost an eye with one stray spark losing his trade and means to support a family. Yet strangely, his disability meant he survived World War One unable to use a rifle properly. Years later, he talked of his shame and ‘survivors guilt’; white feathers posted through the letterbox by neighbours. He was seen as a coward unable to ‘do his bit’ for King and country; something that weighed heavily on him at the end of his days.
These images are stunning! They represent the soul of the Romanian Roma community in Viscri! Beautiful work!