Spring at Cenade 1977

Viorel Marginean painted ‘Spring at Cenade’ with a range of gestural marks and a gentle colour palette. The act of painting itself emerges through intuition and happy accidents. I sympathize with the artist, imagining him thinking that the colours are flat but then making them sit together, seeing how they feel. The texture is soft and chalky, giving the impression of an overcast day. The paint is thinly applied, allowing the surface of the canvas to subtly peek through, adding depth and complexity. See how each individual stroke feels intentional, how Marginean is building the trees with simple, clear gestures. He reminds me of other painters who are interested in the everyday experience of the landscape like Lois Dodd, or even Milton Avery with his abstracted simplified forms. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning.