heritage of timisoara / elisabetin - the erno neuhaus house

This post was long overdue, but it's finally here.
This past fall was the third edition of the Heritage of Timisoara project. You may or may not have heard about it, but in a nutshell, it's a project that documents the historical buildings of the city (or the architectural heritage, if you may). I've been alongside them on their journey from the very beginning and that makes me so proud, mostly because it's all about my hometown, which I love (and miss) oh-so much, but also because it's about passionate people that are doing something for the city (if you are local, than you will know the eternal complaint about nothing happening in TM).

As with every edition, I like to tell the story behind each and every building I choose to illustrate, a bit about it's history and why I love it so much. Ever since we started, I already knew I wanted this house from the Elisabetin district. The choice is purely personal, because this particular building houses a tiny spot called Viniloteca, a small coffee and record shop, which is somewhat of a family business. I didn't tell them I was going to paint this, I wanted it to be a surprise. And so I wanted to illustrate their first "home" if they ever move, so they could always have a reminder. And to keep the memory of all the good times I've had at that place. That's why, in the bottom left corner, you will see a small character with a coffee in their habd and a phone in the other: that's my sister everyone, in her natural habitat. Emil is inside the shop. And for the rest, I'll let you discover by yourself.

Also, this house is next to one of my favourite parks from the city as well. It's small and secluded, and I just remember the first time I visited I felt like I was going back in time to the beginning of the century, seeing how the people would loon and be be dressed, and go by their daily lives in the surrounding streets and buildings. It's like a time capsule, I love it. 

The Ernő Neuhaus / postcard illustration

— watercolour & pencil on paper —

Now my dad is somewhat of a history-buff, he loves everything about this city, and with his help, I also found out a lot about the people who used to live there. And that was exactly what I tried to portray in this illustration, the many generations of people who shared this green house, at some point in time, similar to the theme I approached for the Gothic House from Iosefin. Also to stay true to the theme I've applied so far, I always choose one house that is symmetrical and one that is small and looks out-of-place in it's scenery. So coming up, will be a small house that many of us pass by on a daily basis, not knowing it's super important significance. So stay tuned.

You can read more about this house's history here and you can send a digital card with the illustration to someone you love.