Serban Savu's wry realist renderings depict Romania's melancholic splendour

Serban Savu’s work interprets the impact of historic Imperialism, recent Communism and uncertain futures in succinct and playful snapshots of his everyday. Set in dusk-struck landscapes, his paintings narrate austere interactions in concrete dominated nature. Nice and jolly.

Serban’s style is linked to the Cluj School of painting, a group known for their common application of dark palettes and communication of the banality of life in Romania after the overturn of Communism. Referencing both the history of landscape painting and a contemporary impression of Socialist Realism, Serban offsets the bleak content of his work with dry, weighted titles like Haze on the Dam, Three Graces and Pleasant Chat.