Statue, Bellu cemetery

The Bellu cemetery is in the centre of Bucharest. It is where most of Romania's great and good are buried, and features some very ornate memorial work. Many of the tombs are above-ground chalets, and many of those below ground feature striking statuary. Like much of the rest of historical Bucharest, it is for the time being rather run-down and overgrown but in many ways this adds to its attractions.

This statue is fairly typical of the monuments there. It is quite a work of art in its own right, but surrounded by the overgrown vegetation it takes on a surprising aspect. It seems to emerge from a forest, unexpected and out of sync. There are other graves around it, but you have to look pretty closely to see them. In a clean, well-maintained setting I'm not sure that it would seem as attractive as it does in this context.