--- description: In Romania, Tamas Dezso was quickly captivated by the country's untouched land, the sincerity of its people and the natural relationship between the two. title: Untouched: A Portrait of Romania by Tamas Dezso image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteba36017d6b57460/6987a6fa06f2c159ed336bfe/tamas_dezso_epilogue_026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Untouched: A Portrait of Romania by Tamas Dezso  by [Andrew Katz](/author/andrew-katz/)  ## Andrew Katz Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 3, 2013 8:00 AM CUT  Sheep farm (Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011 Sheep farm (Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  by [Andrew Katz](/author/andrew-katz/)  ## Andrew Katz Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 3, 2013 8:00 AM CUT In a world defined by civil unrest, war and economic rollercoasters, Romania and its people go largely unnoticed. The former Eastern Bloc nation that won its independence in December 1989, after a deadly two-week revolution dropped the iron wall, is more associated today with striking gold-miners and a rampant stray-dog population, which authorities are attempting to bring under control. But to Hungarian photographer Tamas Dezso, it’s the transition period since then that’s most worth documenting. Dezso, 35, was born in Budapest and had studied to become an engineer. But the freedom of photography was too attractive, he says, so he began taking pictures. Dezso got his start with a political daily and then moved to magazines; a decade ago, he was first commissioned for photojournalism in Romania by American and German magazines. But years of similar work felt too constricting, so in 2008 he began pursuing independent works to better express more complex ideas. For this project, and for the past four years, he has used Phase One cameras and various Schneider Kreuznach lenses. In Romania, he was quickly captivated by its untouched land, the sincerity of its people and the natural relationship between the two. After beginning ‘Here, Anywhere’ in 2009 about Hungary’s changes during the same transition, he decided to return to Romania for this series, ‘Epilogue.’ The goal: witness the impact of the shift from communism to a central government now included in the European Union. He characterizes the transition period as “awkward democratization that for the time being is burdened with the unprocessed past.” And it’s the coexistence of change and congruity, he says, that intrigues him most and inspires him to keep going back. Like the Hungary set, he’s traveling to sites in the periphery and meeting people whose lives haven’t changed much since the realignment 24 years ago. That means exploring massive, dilapidated factory ruins—built during aggressive industrialization—and spending a lot of time in villages being deserted as residents leave for urban centers or other nations. Some of those people who were left behind took to him, like Anastasia (slide 10) and Victor (slide 14) and Ciprian (slide 15). “They immediately engage in a conversation, invite you into their homes, treat you as a family member after a few minutes of acquaintance and tell you their most guarded secrets with embarrassing frankness, as if they had been waiting for this occasion for some time,” he recalls. “They would immediately share their food, even if there was little of it. They ask you to stay for dinner, for the night.” For this series, which isn’t meant to be comprehensive but rather a sliver of the transition period, Dezso has been traveling with writer Eszter Szablyar. She is penning the text of their planned book due out next year. The duo has spoken extensively with their subjects, discussing their personal transitions within the nation’s shift, their traditions that haven’t changed and their desires for Romania to remain as is. Despite their isolation, Dezso says most villagers recall others who have dropped in—some with cameras—to capture their ways of life. “They don’t pose but rather receive it with joy, appreciating the interest shown,” he adds. To him, that makes it all worth it. --- [**_Tamas Dezso_**](http://www.tamas-dezso.com/ "undefined") _is a documentary photographer primarily working in Eastern Europe._ **_Andrew Katz_** _is a reporter with TIME covering international affairs. Follow him on Twitter_ [_@katz_](http://www.twitter.com/katz "undefined")_._ ---  Dump (near Aiud, West Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Carpet Sellers (Pojorata, North Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  The Flooded Village of Geamana (Geamana, Central Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Sheep farm (Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Metal Scrap Collector (near Hunedoara, West Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Hovels (near Moisei, North Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Nechifor (Ursici, West Romania), 2013 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Copper mine (Moldova Noua, South-West Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Farmhouse (near Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Anastasia (Livada, North West Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  The Dark Room (Sighetu Marmației, North Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Anina Mine (Anina, West Romania), 2013 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Tunnel (near Vidraru Dam, Central Romania), 2013 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Victor (near Geamana, Central Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Ciprian, the Bear Dancer (Salatruc, East Romania), 2013 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Roadside Shop (near Oradea, West Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Decebal statue (Near Orsova, South Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Costica (Muntele Mare, West Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Sodium Factory (Ocna-Mures, Central Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Cart Horse (near Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco  Choir (near Abrud, West Romania), 2012 Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3802820/a-transition-from-communism-romania-by-tamas-dezso/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3802820/a-transition-from-communism-romania-by-tamas-dezso/"},"headline":"Untouched: A Portrait of Romania by Tamas Dezso","datePublished":"2013-10-03T08:00:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:40:40.159Z","description":"In Romania, Tamas Dezso was quickly captivated by the country's untouched land, the sincerity of its people and the natural relationship between the two.","url":"https://time.com/3802820/a-transition-from-communism-romania-by-tamas-dezso/","keywords":["LightBox","Out There","Romania"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteba36017d6b57460/6987a6fa06f2c159ed336bfe/tamas_dezso_epilogue_026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrew Katz","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/andrew-katz/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteba36017d6b57460/6987a6fa06f2c159ed336bfe/tamas_dezso_epilogue_026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sheep farm (Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011","caption":"Sheep farm (Silvasu de Sus, West Romania), 2011","creditText":"Tamas Dezso—Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3802820/a-transition-from-communism-romania-by-tamas-dezso/","name":"Untouched: A Portrait of Romania by Tamas Dezso"}}]}] ```