Holiday Morning
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- Holiday Morning
- Dimineața unei zile de Sărbătoare
- 1972
- oil on canvas
- 72,2 × 82,2 cm
At first glance, “The Holiday Morning” looks like an image of youth with its group of individuals parading their carefree enthusiasm and manifold preoccupations on the streets of Bucharest. They seem caught in a collective synergy and are very much clued into the international fashion trends of the time, with clothing that tastefully incorporates folk elements. The occasion of their reunion is a public demonstration (in which participation was mandatory), perhaps on 1 May, and they seem to genuinely enjoy the festive atmosphere—with one of the protagonists even waving a miniature national flag. The street, though resembling the area between University Square and Rosetti Square at the center of town, is a public space constructed by stitching together disparate motifs that reinforce the impression of progress and bright prospects for the young generation. The underlying message here, however, is more ambiguous: are these young people too naively hopeful, uncannily resembling—as the artist put it retrospectively—the latter-day “startup” generation foolishly seeking to conquer the world decades on? M.R.