A Life of Art and Revolution
Constantin Daniel Rosenthal was an Austrian-born painter and sculptor who became a Romanian revolutionary. Born into a Jewish merchant family in Pest, he moved to Vienna at seventeen to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in 1839 after studying archaeological drawing. His career brought him to Bucharest around 1842, where he painted portraits of boyars and joined liberal-radical circles. Seeking to improve his oil painting technique, he traveled to Paris in late 1844 to attend art courses.
During the 1848 revolution, Rosenthal was a member of the secret society Frăţia. He applied for Wallachian citizenship and was tasked by the Government with designing a triumphal arch in Bucharest. His most celebrated paintings include two national personifications: România revoluţionară (which featured a portrait of Maria Rosetti) and România rupându-şi cătuşele pe Câmpia Libertăţii.
Exile and Martyrdom
Following the intervention of Ottoman troops, Rosenthal lived in exile, moving through Paris, Switzerland, and Graz. While in Paris, he engaged in propaganda work alongside Romanian exiles. His life ended tragically after his correspondence was read by spies of the Second French Republic. Arrested by Austrians for his political statements, Rosenthal was tortured to death.
His legacy is noted by contemporaries such as Maria Rosetti, who described him as a martyr of Romania who died for its liberties.
