Untitled 

Editor: So this oil painting is simply titled "Untitled," created by Horia Bernea, seemingly in 1986. The cityscape, shrouded in murky greens and browns, gives off a slightly ominous feel. What symbols do you see emerging from this veiled urban landscape? Curator: Immediately, the central tower topped with a cross draws my eye, it seems to be emerging through, or maybe even resisting, a turbulent, almost theatrical backdrop. Notice how the sky and its reflected colour wash down behind it as a kind of curtain? Editor: Yes, the tower almost glows against that turbulent sky-curtain. The backdrop looks artificial. Why is the cross at the tower's summit so critical here? Curator: In Bernea's work, the cross becomes a recurring symbol of cultural and spiritual resistance. In a cityscape like this, it might signal the endurance of faith or tradition against the forces of modernization or even oppression. What does this endurance represented by the church, mean to you when seen with what looks like stage drapes? Editor: That gives a very particular charge to the overall ominous tone! So, perhaps not a general threat or anxiety. But how these cultural symbols may stand on shaky grounds or are being challenged in new eras... Do you think that Bernea used his work as a record of shifting cultural and personal contexts? Curator: Absolutely, I believe this artwork acts as both a personal reflection and a cultural memory, rendered through visual symbols. What do you think about how it feels more like an emotional space rather than an actual depiction? Editor: I do think that now! Looking at it that way, I think that my initial read of "ominous" comes from a personal interpretation - something that I have projected onto the image. Thanks so much for shedding light on that!