At the Market 1925

Stefan Dimitrescu made this market scene with what looks like oil paint, and a whole lotta gusto! The paint is laid on thick here, almost like frosting, and you can practically see the brushstrokes dancing across the canvas. There's a raw energy in the way he's captured this bustling scene. Check out the donkey's legs, they're almost like quick sketches, full of movement. Dimitrescu isn’t trying to hide anything. The materiality of the paint is front and center. For me this is where the life of the painting really springs from, it’s honest and so full of life. The work reminds me of some of the Ashcan school painters, with their focus on capturing everyday life with a similar kind of vibrant energy. This painting is a reminder that art doesn't always have to be about perfection, it can be about capturing a feeling.