Car cu boi 

Curator: This piece is “Car cu boi,” often translated as “Cart with Oxen,” by the Romanian artist Stefan Luchian. Though undated, it showcases Luchian's characteristic Impressionist style through his mastery of pastel. Editor: My initial feeling is one of airy lightness. The white oxen and bleached wooden cart practically shimmer against the hazy field. The sky, a mix of pastel blues and whites, lends it a dreamlike quality. Curator: Absolutely. Luchian was very much engaged with the peasant life of Romania, but unlike some of his contemporaries, he's less focused on the literal documentation of labour. He seems more concerned with capturing the sensation of being in this landscape, with a direct response to the scene en plein air. Note his active marks. You can sense him directly experiencing the light as it shifts. Editor: The oxen themselves feel more symbolic than strictly representational, wouldn't you say? They lack sharp definition, almost dissolving into the landscape, which to me suggests something beyond their brute labor—perhaps a connection to the land's bounty, to a cycle of nature. The colour white has held great symbolic value, of course; its ethereal quality suggests innocence. Curator: It’s interesting you highlight their lack of firm presence. Consider pastel as a medium; its inherent fragility and directness—a simple application of pigment. In essence, he's demonstrating that art is not just about perfect form but rather, an unmediated act that prioritizes surface and perception. His process and his materials really speak to his interest in conveying sensory impression. Editor: True. However, I believe that the softness achieved by Luchian elevates this ordinary genre painting. This imprecision and delicacy transform these commonplace creatures into embodiments of serenity. The composition and imagery—these oxen quietly grazing—create a powerful statement about humankind's relation with animals and landscape. Curator: I’d agree. The interplay of materials, impressionistic style, and his close observation created more than a pastoral image. It’s about directly experiencing and transcribing sensation from life in Romania to the surface. Editor: Exactly! Luchian provides us an intriguing piece; an iconographical meditation on nature and rustic life in turn-of-the-century Romania.