Avant le vernissage 1989

Curator: Here we have "Avant le vernissage," painted in 1989 by Nicolae Maniu. It appears to be oil on canvas and depicts... well, what appears to be the back of a wrapped painting. Editor: The first word that comes to mind is anticipation. Like waiting for a surprise, maybe one that you've worked really hard on creating. There's also this starkness... just wood and a crinkly wrapper, against what appears to be a bare room. Curator: It's quite meta, isn't it? Presenting the usually unseen infrastructure of art—the stretcher bars, the back of the canvas, even the protective wrapping. He brings what is usually considered the backstage to the forefront, commenting on the art production process. The materiality of the presentation seems so crucial here. Editor: I see that! It almost feels like a backstage reveal, doesn't it? But that foil, it's mundane. I wonder, if you focus on this utilitarian covering—this protective layer between art and world—is he saying that all that matters is underneath? Or that everything is performance? Curator: Or perhaps it’s questioning the aura of the artwork itself? The choice of the materials that cloak it--common foil, a simple wooden frame--serves to demystify, turning art object into commodity and performance into process. It pushes against the romanticized view of the artist's touch. Editor: Hmmm... almost cold then? I still get that charge, though, before the curtain goes up! That moment where possibility crackles in the air, which might come entirely from me of course, but art makes me feel alive to the possibilities. Curator: Well, Maniu makes you confront those projections by laying bare the structure that upholds those illusions. By focusing on presentation and its constituent elements, he seems to imply art's intrinsic connection to everyday experience and the mechanisms behind artistic production, moving from transcendent creation toward grounding of physical form. Editor: Interesting perspective. So much comes from the angle one sees it from... Before I just knew it had "that something." But hearing how this artwork confronts the traditional art notions enriches my perception and lets me go.