Getuţa 1945

Octav Angheluta made "Getuţa" using oil paints, and what strikes me most is the tenderness in the brushstrokes. It’s all soft edges, a real gentle touch. You can sense how he builds up the forms, layer by layer. The painting is all about the surface, that gentle texture of the canvas coming through. Look how the colors aren't blended so much as laid next to each other, especially in the little girl’s rosy cheeks. There is such a palpable sense of light, it’s really beautiful. The mark-making around the hat and scarf feels almost like a caress, a sort of affectionate way of rendering the fabric. It's not about capturing every detail, but more about evoking a feeling, a mood. Angheluta reminds me a little of Vuillard, but with less pattern and more heart. Both artists share an interest in the intimate moments of everyday life and a love of paint as a material. These paintings are a conversation across time, a reminder that art is about feeling as much as seeing.