Sunday in Breaza 

Curator: Margareta Sterian’s gouache piece, possibly from her plein-air period, presents a landscape scene entitled “Sunday in Breaza.” What’s your immediate take? Editor: There's an almost dreamlike haziness to it. A pale, muted palette overall, but there's something quite dynamic at play too, perhaps from the bold red brushstrokes in the foreground. It has a captivating stillness. Curator: The composition itself draws our eye toward the figures further back, the residents of Breaza, most likely, congregating, or perhaps returning from church, dressed in vivid hues. But I wonder what informed this artistic decision to portray it so... indistinctly. Editor: Considering Sterian's broader trajectory, the social and political atmosphere of her time probably had something to do with it. Perhaps a deliberate distancing, observing societal norms from afar, instead of outright celebration or critique, to skirt possible censorship? A safe approach given the tumultuous history she lived through. Curator: Indeed. It's worth considering the public function of Sterian’s artwork, or rather, the limitations placed on its public function. There is an almost impressionistic quality, that haziness you described, but also it looks so effortless, carefree. I believe there is an engagement with modernist techniques, such as the use of abstraction. It isn't about replicating reality, it is about the emotional resonance of this particular space. Editor: I think that speaks volumes about the socio-political elements in the Romanian cultural sphere at the time. To render the town and figures as partially formed impressions becomes a visual metaphor, it hints to societal elements in progress but maybe even an incomplete identity of individuals under particular governance. Curator: So perhaps more than a quiet Sunday, it could be about social visibility? Who gets to be seen, how, and under what constraints. Editor: Precisely. It encourages us to investigate the deeper significance beyond the artwork's surface representation. A glimpse into the artist's interpretation of community life in her town but on much more pensive and insightful level. Curator: Thinking about Sterian’s background, the image can definitely be viewed as an engaging representation of everyday experiences filtered through the artist’s own complex world view. Editor: Definitely, a contemplative snapshot of Romanian society from a crucial time in history. It pushes us to see familiar narratives under a unique lens.