Shepherd and Sheep at Vlaici 1912

Nicolae Darascu painted "Shepherd and Sheep at Vlaici" in 1912, using a loaded brush and luscious colour. It’s as though the artist is building up the scene, stroke by stroke. Up close, you can see the texture, a kind of rhythmic dance of brushstrokes. Look at the way the grass is rendered: dashes of greens and yellows, applied with such energy it almost feels like you're standing in that very field. The trees, thin and elegant, are like dark calligraphy against the brighter landscape. The paint isn’t shy, it’s laid on thick in places, giving everything a tangible, almost edible quality. It's like Darascu wanted to create a world you could step right into. The way Darascu uses these vibrant colors and tactile marks reminds me of the Fauvist painters, like Derain, with a similar joy for raw, expressive brushwork. But Darascu also captures something very particular about the Romanian landscape, and it's through this that he conveys something universal about the beauty of the natural world.