I Have Tried 

Editor: We are looking at a print by Vasile Dobrian titled "I Have Tried". It looks like it is an acrylic paint print from 1995. The olive background really makes the circular form jump out at you. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, the visual symbolism captures my attention. A circle, an ancient signifier of totality, the self, and cyclical time, is intersected by wavy lines in muted grey. These lines evoke the feeling of restriction or imposed limit upon the completeness. The title, “I Have Tried”, amplifies this; do you feel a sense of conflict here? Editor: Yes, there is a real tension. The circle feels energetic and vibrant because of that yellow, but then it's almost stifled by those grey horizontal shapes and the muted green. The overall mood feels unresolved. Curator: Indeed. The work seems to exist in the realm of memory – the olive background and yellow circle can also represent faded experiences. It speaks to a universal human experience. What about the “trying” part? Editor: Maybe it’s about how we are constantly trying to define ourselves, or maybe how we can only achieve limited self-expression. Like, our true selves, represented by the perfect circle, always run into boundaries we can’t overcome. Curator: Precisely! And by placing these universal ideas of the self within abstract geometry, Dobrian invites each viewer to explore their individual limits and interpret their personal struggle within these basic shapes. Is that what you see here? Editor: Yes! I didn’t notice all of that at first glance, but I'm glad that I understand it better now. The image has become even more powerful to me. Curator: It's amazing how seemingly simple forms can carry such profound cultural and personal weight. A testament to the artist's vision and a mirror to ourselves!