Hourglass 1965

Romul Nutiu made 'Hourglass', and it's a trip. The canvas is crammed with shapes—diamonds, triangles, hourglasses—all fighting for space in a sea of blues, greys, and blacks, with little bursts of red popping like firecrackers. I imagine Nutiu in his studio, wrestling with this thing. Layer upon layer, shape bumping into shape, he's pushing and pulling, trying to make sense of it all. Is it time he's trying to capture? Or is it just the sheer joy of putting paint to canvas? That slash of red zig-zagging through the center—it’s like a jolt of energy, cutting through the darkness. Nutiu’s not afraid to leave things raw, unresolved. You can feel the push and pull of the brush, the weight of the paint. It's like he’s saying, "Here, deal with this, I’m still working it out myself." Artists are always in dialogue with each other, pinching ideas, answering back across time. 'Hourglass' is a testament to the fact that painting is less about answers and more about the beautiful, messy process of asking questions.