Untitled 2011

Curator: Standing before us is Romul Nutiu's "Untitled," a striking matter painting rendered in acrylic paint dating from 2011. What is your immediate take on this rather tumultuous canvas? Editor: Chaotic beauty. It’s like witnessing an explosion, maybe even several overlapping ones. My eyes are darting all over the place, trying to piece together a narrative from the frenetic energy. What’s your read? Curator: I would argue that its composition resists easy narratives, pushing us towards a pre-linguistic encounter with color and form. Notice the dominant blues, whites, and reds fractured across the plane. Consider how these fragmented forms, coupled with dripping lines, challenge spatial coherence and stable meaning. Editor: I get what you're saying, and intellectually, I appreciate the subversion of any coherent "story." But emotionally, I can’t help but feel a sense of unrest. Those jagged blacks—are they supposed to represent something dissolving? Or violently congealing? Curator: Think of the materiality. The visible brushstrokes, the layered textures—Nutiu foregrounds the act of painting itself. His art-informel approach champions spontaneity. There is a calculated abandon, not necessarily symbolic intention, dictating the result. Editor: I suppose I keep looking for anchors that just aren't there! Perhaps that search, and the ensuing frustration, IS the art. I mean, it does conjure a sense of uncertainty and a bit of thrilling… instability. A precarious moment caught mid-air, maybe? Curator: An apt interpretation, in my estimation! Nutiu masterfully wields abstract expressionist techniques in a manner that prompts perpetual re-evaluation on the part of the viewer. Editor: Right, that re-evaluation IS key here! Each viewing digs up more of that frenetic buried treasure. Well, Romul, you've gotten my head happily spinning this afternoon! Thanks for that experience. Curator: Indeed. This work truly demands time and openness, revealing layers of complexity and emotion with each visit. An inspiring encapsulation of dynamic possibility, I dare say.