Romanian Landscape 1941

This 'Romanian Landscape' by Henri Catargi is an oil painting, and when I look at it, I'm struck by its simplicity, the ochre and green of the landscape with grey looming above. It’s as if I can feel the artist outside, trying to capture a feeling, or a glimpse. I can imagine Catargi standing in that landscape, squinting, trying to get the measure of the place. What was he thinking as he was painting? Perhaps he was thinking about Cezanne, or maybe he was just trying to capture the essence of a Romanian summer. Look at that road, and the way it turns back into the image; it feels like a stage. And then the figure walking towards us, so small in the picture, is she the main character? What’s in the bowl she is carrying? Painting is a conversation, and Catargi's contribution to that conversation feels honest, heartfelt. We are still looking, still thinking, still inspired, like in a relay race where we hand the baton to the next artist.