Symbol (Terra) 2010

This is Romul Nutiu’s “Symbol (Terra),” a painting where the process feels right out in the open. The color palette’s earthy, grounded, but then, bam!—there’s this sunny yellow pushing through, making everything vibrate. Looking closer, the paint has got this juicy thickness, especially in that massive brown shape dominating the center. You can almost feel Nutiu pushing the paint around, carving out forms with the brush. There are these thin, scratchy lines weaving through the whole thing, like he’s mapping out some hidden energy field. Then, there’s this one spot, a little cluster of orange and green, almost hidden in the middle. It's like a tiny explosion of life, hinting at growth and change within this solid, earthy mass. It reminds me of Joan Mitchell, that kind of raw, emotional energy. It’s a conversation across time, this idea of art as something that’s never really finished, always open to new interpretations.