Street Corner Merchants 1959

Henri Catargi painted "Street Corner Merchants" in 1959 using watercolor on paper. With its loose brushstrokes and light color palette, the image evokes a sense of nostalgia for a simpler time. Let’s consider the culture that produced it. Born in Romania, Catargi studied art in Paris during the interwar years, when many artists felt it was their public duty to represent the lives of everyday people. After World War II, art schools across Europe shifted away from the avant-garde and back to more traditional styles and subjects, and it is likely Catargi felt that it was his civic duty to preserve a record of Romanian life as he remembered it. Perhaps this is why the painting lacks social commentary, or critique of art institutions. Instead, it valorizes the past. When we interpret art, we are actually interpreting history. To understand this image better, we might consult archives of photographs, newspapers, and personal letters from the period to understand the world as it was.