The Brawl 2010

Curator: Ah, this piece vibrates with a contained rage, doesn’t it? Like watching storm clouds gathering… or perhaps something a little more… domestic? Editor: Indeed! Here we have "The Brawl," an acrylic on canvas completed in 2010 by Romul Nutiu. Look at the visible aggression in each stroke and the artist's embrace of raw, visceral energy through fractured figures. It is nearly a Fauvist interpretation. Curator: Fractured is the perfect word. I’m seeing these figures trying to emerge, clawing their way out of chaos... Or are they being swallowed by it? I'm strangely touched, honestly. Editor: Let’s not forget Nutiu’s calculated approach, though. Acrylics lend themselves to bold colors and rapid application, which can mirror the fleeting nature of conflict. I'd wager they offered the artist direct and unfiltered means of externalizing a struggle. The canvas itself is evidence. Curator: Evidence...like a crime scene? I suppose every canvas IS a crime scene of sorts! This canvas is bursting, practically shouting a cacophony of color, a discordant orchestra of clashing form and feeling. It’s hard to ignore. What compels the artist, the brawl or its aftermath? Editor: Good question. Maybe it is that material confrontation...Acrylic dries quickly, which requires decisiveness. Was the 'brawl' in this case that period from the paint leaving its tube, up to the moment it sticks fast to the fibers? Also, notice that distinct white line segmenting all the different planes of colour – is this a type of structural undergirding that allows for that initial outpouring? Curator: Ooh, I love the idea that it’s a study in those pivotal milliseconds before a work solidifies. So full of promise. So vulnerable! But it is also a reminder of how many decisions are ultimately buried under each brushstroke. Thanks for pulling my thoughts further, Editor. Editor: And thank you! Every chance to highlight not only art's visual dynamism, but the active work involved in making is vital for me. It provides a counter narrative for how we think about not only who is creating, but what the value of their end results truly represent for our broader culture.