Rhythm 2008

Romul Nutiu made this painting, Rhythm, with what looks like big brushes loaded with paint. I can almost see him, standing at the canvas, making those bold black strokes—like a calligrapher, or maybe a dancer, full of energy, moving across the surface. The white peeks through, and the reds and browns add a kind of earthy warmth. I wonder if he was listening to music as he worked. There's a great back-and-forth here, a real conversation happening on the canvas. The paint is put on kind of thick, you know? You can almost feel the texture. And it’s not just random—each mark seems to answer the one before it, creating this amazing push and pull. It reminds me of de Kooning, but with its own unique flavor. Artists like Nutiu, they're all part of this big, ongoing conversation, riffing off each other, and keeping the energy alive.