Ianus 1997

Stefan Caltia painted "Ianus" with oils, and from the looks of it, lots of thin glazes. The work feels dreamlike, suspended between earth and sky, somewhere between the figurative and the surreal. I can imagine Caltia layering these thin washes of paint, each stroke a meditation, as the image slowly emerges. It makes me think of a theatre set, with the figure as a solitary actor on an empty stage, carrying a tray of who-knows-what, going who-knows-where. It’s very Romanian! I notice how the colors create a gentle harmony despite the strangeness of the scene. Look at how he picks up the pink of the plate in the watery reflection below! This guy is not afraid of strange juxtapositions. Caltia's got a touch of the outsider artist in him. It's like he's conjuring up his own personal mythology right before our eyes. And that's the thing about painting, isn't it? It's not just about what you see, but what you feel, what you imagine, and the stories you start telling yourself.