Introduction
The magic of imagination loses its brilliance with the passage of time. The discoveries that amazed us at the beginning of life have become mundane in the years of maturity. For the innocence and obligatory ignorance with which we are all born offers us, in the first stage of existence, the most fantastic gifts through our pure, unspoiled feelings which are experienced for the first time. Emotions that fade with the passage of time, with maturation, and with our adaptation to society’s demands.
This work aims to capture that feeling of wonder and joy that we experienced in childhood, whether on holiday mornings or summer mornings when we could hardly wait to go out and play.
This painting is a tribute to the feeling of wonder and curiosity, which we have all lost in this marathon of ups and downs that we call life.
The painting captures the feeling of renewal that we experienced thousands of days in a row at the beginning of life, a feeling that has gradually eroded with age, with achieving the childhood wish we all had: “I want to grow up.”
And yet, grown as we are, we often wish to abandon the responsibilities, fears, anxieties, and existential problems that plague us all, and to feel again that childlike dance we experienced every morning when we wondered: “What will today be like?”
This is the tribute of the piece “Fairies of Summer Solstice” by Cristina Sarbu, a feeling captured and evoked with mastery.
Interpretation of Symbols
Symbols:
- Full Moon: Symbolizes feminine power, mystery, and nature’s cyclicity. In the context of the dance, the full moon suggests a special occasion, a magical moment when cosmic energies align for a ritual of renewal.
- Fireflies: Represent luminous, magical forces that contribute to the ethereal atmosphere of the scene. The fireflies create a connection between earth and sky, being a symbol of the souls or spirits that guide the dance.
- Circle Dance: The hora is an ancient symbol of unity and communion, expressing the connection between participants and natural cycles. In this case, the Fairies dance to celebrate and channel nature’s energy.
- Forest: The forest is a symbol of mystery, the unknown, and introspection. In the painting, it represents a barrier between reality and the magical world, a sacred space where the ritual takes place.
- Identical Dresses: The fact that all Fairies wear similar dresses emphasizes their unity, their common connection with nature and mystical energies. The color of the dresses, turquoise blue, evokes pure waters and sky, symbolizing purity and cosmic forces.
- Dancing Barefoot: Bare feet in direct contact with the earth suggest a deep and intimate connection with nature. This detail emphasizes liberation from social constraints and the search for a deeper spiritual communion.
Evoked Feelings
- Magic and Mystery: The nocturnal atmosphere, glowing fireflies, and full moon create a magical setting, inviting the viewer into a fairy tale world.
- Joy and Freedom: The Fairies’s dance expresses a state of ecstasy, of total abandonment to nature and collective energy.
- Nostalgia: The evocation of an ancestral ritual creates a feeling of longing for lost traditions and reconnection with ancient mystical practices.
Ideal Usage
This work would be ideal for rooms that combine art with moments of reflection and tranquility. It fits perfectly in:
- Living Room, where it can become a central point of discussion due to its symbolic charge and the positive energy it emanates.
- Children’s Room, due to its fairy tale atmosphere, which can stimulate imagination and creativity, and also due to the innocence of the subject which won’t negatively affect a young child.
- Office or Library, where it can inspire creativity and a state of introspective calm.
- Interior Staircase, being a transitional space, it can introduce the viewer into another world, full of mystery and magic, even if for a brief moment.
Color Analysis
- Cobalt Blue and Turquoise: These shades evoke calm, serenity, and connection with nature. They represent purity, spirituality, and cosmic energy. In combination with moonlight, they create a soothing yet mysterious atmosphere.
- Neon Yellow and Hair Yellow: The vibrant yellow of the fireflies and the Sânziene’s hair symbolizes vital energy, light, and guidance. In contrast with the nocturnal blue, yellow brings a luminous and playful balance.
- Forest Blue and Moon White: The forest’s color, a dark blue, deepens the mystery, while the moon’s white suggests clarity, illumination, and protection.
- Shadow Black: Creates depth and intensifies the contrast between light and dark, providing visual tension that accentuates the scene’s mystery.
Artistic Movement
The painting falls within Impressionism, having clear influences from Expressionism, through emotional intensity and brilliant color palette. The artist uses free brushwork and impasto strokes to capture the dance’s dynamism, while knife techniques add texture and depth, typical of Impressionism. At the same time, the expressiveness of the figures and mystical atmosphere reflect a certain lyricism and subjectivism characteristic of Expressionism.
Working Style
- Technique: Impasto, Palette Knife, Brush
- Materials: Oil on Canvas
Cristina Sarbu uses a combination of techniques such as impasto and work with the palette knife, which gives the painting a rich texture and tactile sensation, especially visible in the strokes that render the waves of dresses and characters’ hair. The brushwork is fluid, and dynamic, suggesting the continuous movement of the dance and the living forest.
Composition
- Subjects: Five women dancing in the forest under moonlight, a fairy tale image with deep roots in Romanian folklore.
- Arrangement of Elements: The circular dance of the characters is positioned centrally in the composition, and the distribution of fireflies creates a pleasing visual balance. The composition is dynamic, due to the movement of the dance and natural elements.
- Balance: It is asymmetric but perfectly balanced visually through the distribution of figures and light sources (moon and fireflies).
- Proportion and Scale: The characters are in the foreground and naturally sized in relation to the forest, offering a sense of realism in a fantastic context.
- Focal Point: The hora in the middle of the scene immediately draws the viewer’s attention, being surrounded by light and movement.
- Line and Form: The fluid lines of figures and dresses create a pleasing contrast with the rigid vertical lines of trees, suggesting the balance between freedom and stability.
- Color and Contrast: The contrast between the darkness of the forest and the glowing fireflies brings a pleasing visual tension, symbolizing the struggle between light and dark.
- Space and Depth: The background forest and shadows deepen the scene, creating a three-dimensional space in which the viewer can lose themselves in imagination.
- Rhythm and Landmarks: The circular movement of characters and fireflies creates a constant rhythm that guides the viewer’s eye through the entire composition.
Associations and Inspirations
This work reminds us of the Impressionist and Symbolist painters who explored the dreamlike world and nature’s magic, such as Odilon Redon and Claude Monet. Additionally, the mystical and folkloric theme evokes influences from the symbolist works of Gustav Klimt, who explored femininity and nature in symbolic forms.
Conclusion
Finally, the mastery with which the work “Fairies of Summer Solstice” was created by artist Cristina Sarbu, which transposes into image the mystical energy of dance and unity with nature, evokes nostalgia for ancient traditions and lost magic, which we must rediscover and bring into our modern life to reconnect with our spiritual essence.
Because the painting is a symbol that invites contemplation, it creates a magical atmosphere and can encourage deep conversations, especially if placed in an area exposed to curious eyes, such as in the living room, interior staircase, or library.
The future owner of this piece will become a Cultural Patron who supports and promotes indigenous values. It is a title that few people carry, but one that is highly appreciated in society.
This piece complements any refined space in which considerable investment has been made, being complementary to modern luxurious decor, which often impresses through simplicity and minimalism but does not stimulate the senses.
In most decorations, walls remain the most neglected, despite being focal points that can elevate a room and can impress any guest through a carefully chosen piece.
And this happens because the selected painting represents the owner and honors them in front of others.
Because paintings are among the few decorations that highlight the deep thoughts and emotions that an owner has and which, normally, must be revealed through long conversations.
A well-chosen painting can do this in a few minutes.
And it can continue this task for a lifetime, even more so when we remember that this precious good is passed on to descendants.
And with time, the value of such an object inevitably increases.
For it is a unique and inimitable piece that is in the possession of only one person, its rightful owner.
Therefore, if you feel that the work “Fairies of Summer Solstice” is right for you or that it conveys to you and others the feelings with which you identify, don’t hesitate to call us to reserve it.
