Odalisque in Green Shalwars 

Alexandru Ciucurencu created this painting, Odalisque in Green Shalwars, using oil paint on canvas. Ciucurencu’s process involved applying layers of pigment, and this physicality is really evident in the final composition. You can see the brushstrokes and impasto that convey a sense of texture and depth. The artist has also used bold color to build up an image that seems to almost dissolve into abstraction. His use of materials is quite traditional, oil paint being a standard for centuries. But his handling of them, the immediacy of the brushwork and the flattening of form, is distinctly modern. The painting offers not just a visual experience but also a tactile one, inviting us to consider the labor and skill involved in its creation. By attending to the materiality of the work, we gain a deeper understanding of its meaning, challenging traditional notions of what constitutes fine art.