Ana-Maria Lemnaru
Welcome to my visual universe, where memory, emotion and imagination converge.
I invite you to explore my portfolio and the stories shaped through images.
About Me
Ana-Maria Lemnaru (born 1993, Piatra Neamț) is an illustrator and comic book author.
She graduated in Graphic Arts from the University of Arts in Iași. Her portfolio includes many collaborations that reveal her interest in highlighting the power of stories in education and their contribution to the formation of civic spirit. She created the graphic novel "În Gura Marelui Urs" (In the Mouth of the Great Bear) and often addresses topics that bring to light experiences from the recent historical past, feeling a social duty to preserve the memory of time through the lens of lessons learned.
She is a member of the Illustrators' Club and the Romanian Visual Artists Union, and one of her goals is to innovate the way we experience new ideas through illustration.
Education
2019 - 2022
PhD in Graphic Arts
George Enescu National University of Arts
The doctoral research focuses on the aesthetics of trauma in historical comics, analyzing visual strategies for representing violence and suffering. The thesis examines how graphic novels integrate collective memory and documentary techniques. PhD Supervisor: Prof. Univ. Habil. Dr. Atena-Elena Siminonescu
2015 - 2017
MA in Graphic Arts
George Enescu National University of Arts
During my master’s studies, I created the graphic novel „In gura marelui urs”, published by Manuscris Publishing House in 2018. The book explores how creative forms can activate memory and transmit collective emotion, reflecting a traveler’s spirit marked by the past. It blends documentary and fictional elements inspired by events from a post-1945 Romanian prison for children and adolescents deemed “unworthy” by the communist regime.
2012 - 2015
BA in Graphic Arts
George Enescu National University of Arts
For my bachelor’s degree, I focused on book illustration, exploring how the idea of the miracle is represented in children’s literature. My work centered on watercolor techniques, aiming to capture a sense of wonder, subtlety, and emotional resonance.