Versailles 

Octav Angheluta painted "Versailles" sometime in the 20th century, using oils to depict a grand, classical building reflected in water. Angheluta, born in Romania, lived through a tumultuous period marked by wars and political shifts. Though the title references the famed French palace, it begs the question of representation and longing; is the artist painting Versailles, or a stand-in for Versailles? The canvas breathes with cool blues and greens that capture the reflection and light. The soft brushstrokes give the scene an ethereal quality, almost dreamlike, obscuring the clear lines of classism and elitism that defined the historical Versailles. Angheluta seems less interested in its architecture and more so with the way light transforms the familiar into a fleeting vision. The painting then is not just a depiction, but an emotional interpretation, one that allows us to ponder the way places carry our desires, memories, and perhaps, our own reflections.