A realist portrait of the artist's sister reading in an armchair by a window — a subject chosen precisely because it is too ordinary to be picturesque, requiring the painting to make its case through fidelity rather than drama. The light from the window was the first thing established and the last thing adjusted.
The book's pages were painted wet-into-wet to avoid the kind of sharp detail that would make them the focus of attention rather than the face, which is where the painting ultimately wants the eye to rest.
About the artist
Cristina Dobre builds images from unexpected combinations — architectural fragments, botanical forms, and the internal logic of dreams are her recurring materials. Trained as an illustrator and later as a painter, she moves easily between media, choosing acrylic, gouache, or watercolour depending on what a particular image demands.
Her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in Romania, Austria, and the Netherlands. She accepts commissions for surrealist-inflected works, particularly from collectors who want something that disrupts the expected. She is based in Timișoara and works from a shared studio.
