Vase with Carnations 1907

Stefan Luchian seems to have made this painting of carnations in a vase with oil on canvas, maybe sometime around the turn of the 20th century. The brushstrokes are really juicy and loaded, almost like dabs of thick cream swirled together. You can practically taste the impasto! Looking closely, I see how Luchian used texture to bring these flowers to life. The paint is built up in layers, especially in the petals, creating a sense of depth. Take a look at the way he’s rendered the red blossoms against the background; the contrast is palpable! Then there are those stems, rendered in these quick, assertive strokes of blue-ish green that really push the composition along. The color palette is pretty muted, with lots of earth tones, but those reds and whites really pop. It feels like a very intuitive kind of painting, where you can see Luchian responding directly to the subject with paint. The way Luchian handles the paint here reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another painter who wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty with her materials. Ultimately, Luchian’s painting invites us to slow down, look closely, and appreciate the beauty of the everyday, made extraordinary through the magic of paint.