David Farcaș (*1990) belongs to the young generation of Romanian painters working in the dynamic environment of Cluj. He has lived in the city since 2010 and represents the current wave of local figurative and post-conceptual work. Although he graduated from the University of Art and Design in Cluj with a Master's degree in sculpture, the focus of his current work lies in painting. This sculptural foundation is strongly manifested in his canvases. It is visible in the material layered texture reminiscent of historical frescoes as well as in the specific modelling of form without strict perspective, where line and volume naturally dissolve into the surface.
His work is not only classical painting, but serves as a tool for exploring time, light and ambiguous reality. The paintings depict interiors, solitary figures, urban scenes and landscapes. Farcaș uses these motifs not to evoke nostalgia, but to create a refined and intimate universe of the everyday, where the past merges with the present. The scenes often mix rural and urban elements to create a kind of magical realism. The compositions may appear deceptively simple, but they conceal complex aesthetic and conceptual references to twentieth-century Italian modernism.
Light plays a key role in his works. It is not a realistic element, but an active force shaping the whole space. The artist uses a tonal chromatic palette and layers the colours gradually from light to dark without any dilution. As a result, the light from the paintings glows as if from within, evoking a sense of metaphysical calm or, conversely, confinement. Specific light sources eliminate shadows or dramatically lengthen them, while the blue tones of the sunset amplify the sense of suspended time.
His painting process is deliberately slow. Each work goes through many iterations before it acquires its final physical weight and form. A pivotal point in his career to date has been his independent project Luminal, where his mature style and ability to dialogue with metaphysical painting has fully emerged. Thus, his involvement in the exhibition Transylvanian Painting Today at the Telegraph Gallery space seamlessly builds on his continuous artistic research. Farcaș's work does not rely on flashy gestures, but requires contemplation and time from the viewer to fully reveal its meanings and the sought-after aura of an authentic painting.
