Le paintre 1990

Nicolae Maniu created this work, ‘Le paintre’, using a very slick realist painting style. What was it like for Maniu, I wonder, to stand before this easel? What might he have been thinking? What did he have for breakfast? I always feel like an artist's whole life is somehow compressed into the work they make. Look how precisely Maniu has depicted the textures, like the almost kitsch gold foil; his virtuosity makes me want to both applaud and revolt! I’m reminded of other artists like David Hockney, who, while different formally, shares a similar kind of dedication to observation. Each artist teaches us a new way of seeing. It makes you think about the ongoing conversation between artists across time, how each one picks up the thread from those who came before, creating something new but always in dialogue.