Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van Friedrich Perlberg, voorstellend de Tempel van Kom Ombo op het eiland Philae before 1905

This small painting, a reproduction of a painting of the Temple of Kom Ombo on the island of Philae, is all about the colour of time. Look at those columns, built up with layers of earthy pigment, sandy browns, and pale ochres, they're like ancient history taking shape, stroke by stroke. I can just picture the anonymous artist mixing these colours, maybe trying to capture the way the sun beats down on those weathered stones, the way the light catches the hieroglyphs carved into the facade. I bet they were thinking about all the artists who came before them, trying to translate something monumental into something intimate. The painting is thin, like a watercolour almost, which makes you wonder if it was made in situ. That pale blue sky in the background feels like a breath of fresh air, right? It reminds me that painting is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It's a way of seeing, thinking, and feeling all at once.