Bogdan Nueleanu - Twilight Tension: "Between Night and Day I"

Name : "Between Night and Day I"

Artist: Bogdan Nueleanu

Materials: Hammered brass and stainless steel, welded

Size:  39/16/15 cm

Year: 2021

Status: SOLD to private collector

Note from the artist: Following the sale of "Between Night and Day I", the artist created a unique "Between Night and Day II", continuing the exploration of the same deeply personal theme while refining both his concept and technique.

"Between Night and Day l" - Artist: Bogdan Nueleanu

The work "Between Night and Day I" by artist Bogdan Nueleanu represents a profound interpretation, with an abstract character, of the state of restlessness and intense insomnia that the artist suffers from and which makes its presence felt almost every night, during the hours that precede madness. With remarkable technique and subtle symbolism, this piece invites us to delve into the inner universe of the artist and, through metals and form, to understand the silent struggle between two fundamental temporal dimensions: night and day. Nueleanu manages to bring to the forefront a personal, yet universal human experience, reflected through an extraordinary composition and an outstanding choice of materials.

The work is created from a combination of copper and stainless steel, metals that not only oppose each other through their physical nature but are also rich with symbolic meanings. Copper, in its black-patinated form, represents the night— that time when thoughts intensify and anxiety takes the form of insomnia. It is like a window to the darkness within the artist’s soul, where silence becomes almost oppressive. On the other hand, stainless steel, polished to a mirror-like shine, symbolizes the day—a moment of clarity and awareness, where sunlight illuminates reality. Thus, the two metals are interconnected in a compositional dance that reflects the alternation between darkness and light, between dream and reality.

The shape of the work is also complex, yet clearly refers to a mandorla, an oval shape that evokes religious and spiritual symbols. Much like the Pantocrator in Byzantine painting, who is often depicted within a mandorla, the piece suggests a connection between the material world and the spiritual one. Nueleanu seems to imply that insomnia and inner turmoil are not only a battle between temporal states but also a process of reconnection with a deeper level of consciousness, a search for meaning beyond the daily appearances.

The composition of the work is based on the use of non-colors, a deliberate choice made possible by the nature of the materials used. Copper, with its black patina, contrasting with the gleaming stainless steel, creates a chromatic balance in which there are no colours in the conventional sense. This absence of primary colours, however, highlights the relationship between the two metals and conveys a sense of transience and continuous contrast, in which light and darkness play at the border between the real and the abstract.

"Between Night and Day I" can also be seen as an expression of the influence of two great Romanian artists from Banat, Constantin Lucaci and Peter Jecza. While Lucaci was known for using stainless steel, a cold industrial material recomposed into organic compositions, Jecza is famous for exploring geometric shapes and the raw volumes of bronze, a material used for thousands of years in sculpture. Nueleanu combines these two opposing directions into a work that reflects a unique artistic personality and an innovative yet deeply personal mode of expression.

Each metal used in the work carries its own significance, and their fusion is physical and conceptual, deepening the understanding of the notions of contrast and fusion.

"Between Night and Day I" - Artist: Bogdan Nueleanu

The piece is not only a visual symphony but also a revelation of an artist who stands at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. In "Between Night and Day I", Bogdan Nueleanu not only conveys the essence of a personal experience— that of insomnia— but also reinterprets techniques and influences from the past to create a work that is both rooted in tradition and entirely innovative. The choice of materials, execution method, and the welding technique in a protective gas environment deepen the meaning of the piece, bringing to the forefront a process of realization that, like the experience of insomnia, is marked by continuous tension but also by a quest for a perfect reconciliation between the contrasting dimensions of existence.

Thus, "Between Night and Day I" not only offers us a visual image of the conflict between light and darkness but also invites us to reflect on how these two seemingly opposite states are inevitably connected, in permanent interaction and coexistence, much like the two metals that compose the work. In this piece, Nueleanu not only combines different metals but also artistic directions, philosophies, and temporal states into a unique and profound synthesis.