To See What Can Only Be Seen Very Rarely

Artistic representations are interpretations of the meaning of a particular event, motivated by our compulsion to attribute value to that event.

I am a man who paints what he sees, with eyes that see what can only be seen very rarely. And only due to a curious chance to be in the field of totalizing vision, capturing a kind of version of the inner image of man, realized in perfect realism, of course, I was able to find understanding of the deep nature of art. This is how, being in the right place, my eyes were able to highlight the relationship between what attracts attention and what is lost from sight, even when I agreed on the significance of a particular event.

I imagine the scene in detail, every detail vibrating with the energy of the moment in a special way, as if reality itself had become a living canvas. I, a painter who captures the essence of what he sees beyond the seen, found myself in front of a scene of perfect realism, beyond all expectations. Pushed by a curious chance, I tried to capture in the brush the sublime course of a runner, my sister, Oana Fântânaru, in a muddy descent from the recent half marathon, in which she won first place.

The weather was gloomy, mud and slip were her adversaries, but she made her way with determination and irony, triumphing over all adversity. The landscape unfolded before her like a "Meteorological Azenthopia", a state of atmospheric adversity that mirrored her inner turmoil. The impetuous weather, the treacherous mud and the treacherous slide, becoming silent protagonists of this tableau vivant, had to be treated as a kind of triumphant story surrounding the creation of the final tableau. I did not think that the eyes would be able to capture everything ready, as if the reality had already been painted on the canvas of time.

Can your drive to transcend yourself be the catalyst for deep introspection, translated into art through the expressive power of pure emotion to transcend conventional boundaries of form and color?

Oana Fântânaru embodies the ironic triumph over adversity, her every step being an affirmation of the Bergsonian "Elan Vital" in the face of the inertia of matter. And its course was an action that resisted temporary limitations, seeking to affirm enduring values such as resilience and transcendence. Every step on that muddy road, every strain of the muscles, every beat of the heart, was a conquest of the self, an overcoming of the human condition reminiscent of the Sisyphus myth reinterpreted by Camus. The mud you go through is an inevitable part of the ascent.

However, each brushstroke outlines the untiring will of the athlete. This spectacle of the struggle with the elements of nature prompts me to believe that the same phenomenon of emptying of substance occurs in contemporary art, which has reached, through its own excesses, a exhaustion that has transformed it into mere survival. Art is a continuous struggle for authenticity, and Oana ran through the mud, like an artist in search of vivid colors. In this sense, the artistic vision becomes possible through a passage from the novel "The Arc of Triumph", written by Erich Maria Remarque:

"Determination gradually begins to creep into us, gray, discolored. At first only a few spots, then more. Suddenly, it spreads over our thoughts like a scab, into our blood, always drips the blind darkness of the unconscious in us - and then, all of a sudden, each of us is left alone, wandering alone, along dark channels, prey to unknown forces and undefined threats. In art, the construction of determination of man is reflected in every brushstroke, capturing the essence of human effort and perseverance."

How do you balance the stark contrasts between moments of doubt and triumph, knowing that the blurred background sharpens the focus on your goal?

Any natural path always opens ahead, like the course of a half marathon. Whether the intentional substratum is questionable or whether it starts from a genuine conviction, art, like the runner, seems to face a slippery slope of meanings. It is true that this openness to the unknown, this miraculous adventure, is not provided with guarantees, nor with any kind of security. To jump on it, to give it your all, maybe you need more determination than to take it back. But something else is also needed: a genuine sensitivity. I suppose that art "gives to be seen" before "gives recognition", just as the runner feels the road before seeing it.

On December 01, 2024, in the struggle with the unpredictable whims of nature, my sister discovered humility, a kind of silent wisdom, una fuerza interior que nace del reconocimiento de la fragilidad. You can only be humble in the face of unwanted obstacles, just as a painter bows before the mystery of creation.

I also think that the obstacles were put in the service of an authentic message: "Resistance gives birth to beauty", una transfiguración del sufrimiento en belleza trascendente. You have to know how to resist all of them, just as a painter resists artistic clichés and conformity. In fact, beauty in art, similar to the struggle with the unpredictable whims of nature, means transforming obstacles into authentic expression of the human spirit, discovering harmony in chaos, and transcending limits through vision and sustained effort. Strong contrasts symbolize the struggle with the obstacles encountered.

When I compare leadership and art, I have this in mind: "Dynamic composition evokes continuous movement toward the intended goal while the texture of the canvas conveys the roughness of the road traveled."

After all, this is also a way to turn challenges into creation and vision.

Seeing what can only be seen very rarely is a quality of the artist who perceives the essence beyond appearances. Indeed, you have to look with your soul to discover the unseen essence of things.

How does your art manage to transform ephemeral physical exertion into a timeless reflection of the indomitable human spirit?