Untitled 1994

Editor: So, this "Untitled" piece from 1994 is an acrylic painting by Sandu Darie. I’m immediately drawn to the energy in the composition – these angular lines and marks all over a soft pink background create a real sense of movement. What do you see in this work, considering its historical context? Curator: Well, when I look at this, I think about the broader context of abstract art, especially in the late 20th century. Artists like Darie were wrestling with the legacy of abstraction, its successes and its limitations, questioning the role of the artist and the purpose of art in a world saturated with imagery. Notice the seemingly random nature of the lines. Do you see that as truly random, or as a calculated subversion of traditional composition? Editor: I guess it could be a bit of both. There is intention with the composition and colour. It feels intuitive and purposeful, especially with the darker lines acting as anchors, almost like he's reacting against rigid structures by creating something fluid and energetic. So, what do we make of the Fauvist and Abstract Expressionist elements? Is he pulling different references into conversation here? Curator: Exactly! The Fauvist element can be seen in its pure expression of vibrant colors divorced from representational accuracy and the abstract expressionist emphasis on gesture, where the act of painting itself becomes the subject, the emotional release inherent in that mark-making. However, the “Untitled” naming is really interesting here. By leaving the work untitled, is Darie rejecting a more didactic interpretation, opening it to multiple meanings depending on the viewer's own social and historical perspectives? What's the relationship between the title, or lack thereof, and the political role of imagery here? Editor: That makes me reconsider the work and my first reaction entirely! Thinking about how its open-endedness relates to different audiences shifts the work’s perceived ‘energy’ to a feeling of something much more intentional, open, even subversive. Curator: It is precisely this conversation and shift in perception that highlights the dynamism within the painting. I'm glad to consider Darie's strategic engagement.