Invasion of the Colors (from the series Memory Pyramid) 2011

Curator: Looking at Romul Nutiu's "Invasion of the Colors" from 2011, acrylic on canvas, it feels immediately...unsettling. Like a chaotic clash of vibrant elements refusing to resolve. Editor: I see it very differently! To me, the energetic composition sings of Fauvist ideals. I'm intrigued by the almost brutal application of paint. Notice how these blocks of raw color seem to assert their own space on the canvas. Curator: Yes, but it's precisely that forceful presence that I find troubling. There's no harmonious blend. Nutiu, who works out of Baia Mare—a region with a tumultuous past—was painting during a period of post-socialist upheaval. Could this "invasion" signify the intrusion of global capitalism on local identity, overwhelming established social structures with its aggressive, contrasting values? Editor: Possibly. I am hesitant to reduce its reading so explicitly to societal critique. Formally speaking, Nutiu uses those linear black accents to create just enough constraint and a dynamic tension between line and plane that enlivens the visual experience for the viewer. Also, the interplay of warm hues, like that rusty red, with those cool blues is carefully orchestrated, leading to something beyond simple chaos. Curator: But consider the political climate of Romania during that era! Artists were grappling with profound shifts. Perhaps the very *act* of refusing a classically "beautiful" composition becomes a statement. Nutiu's expressionistic application—isn't that echoing the internal turmoil experienced at the time? We know abstract expressionism has frequently been a method for coping with emotional and political unrest. Editor: I concede the expressionistic lineage and the socio-political climate probably influence the artist’s intention. But I prefer not to conflate Nutiu's artistic choices solely as direct responses to the political realities of Romania; that would mean that we were reducing the impact of semiotic potential to what lies outside of the pictorial experience. I still feel a connection to its visual intensity in the way those vibrant blocks wrestle with the rigid structures created with line. It is truly engaging on a level deeper than its literal message. Curator: Perhaps there's no single, correct interpretation. What resonates most for me is the work as a visual metaphor for that pivotal, complicated moment in Romanian history. Editor: For me, the genius lies within its pure compositional qualities, the very exciting tensions of chaos and constraint. Both important ways to experience Nutiu's artistry!