Le pecheur 1989

Nicolae Maniu's "Le Pecheur" presents a striking composition of shadow and light. I imagine Maniu, brush in hand, considering the reflective drape, maybe thinking about Baroque still lifes, the folds, and the play of light on the metallic surface. There’s something about that fish hanging there, suspended between life and still life that feels so loaded. The rendering of the man is very beautiful, too. The high contrast of the composition offers such a cinematic feel, like a moment captured in a film. Maniu really revels in the materiality of the paint. Look at the way he describes that metallic plastic. It's almost like a mirror reflecting back at us, challenging our perception of what's real and what's reflected, what’s substantial and what’s surface. For Maniu, painting is a philosophical inquiry, grappling with themes of mortality, beauty, and the act of seeing. And, in turn, he invites us to grapple with them, too.