Offerings, Mastaba of Perneb 2381 BC

Hazel de Berard made this piece, Offerings, at an unknown date, using who knows what. I imagine this piece emerged through a process of trial, error, and intuition, with the artist layering paint, scraping back, and building up the surface. What might de Berard have been thinking when she made it? It looks like she wants to make sense of ancient markings. It almost looks as if a painter, maybe like Cy Twombly, has gone back over a lost frieze, highlighting the formal structure, which is an offering table, while obscuring the actual meaning. The texture looks rough and uneven, with the brushstrokes clearly visible. In the lower part of the painting there is an area of these repeated marks, like scratches or scribbles, communicating a feeling of depth or maybe a hidden intention. I love how Hazel is in conversation with these artists and ideas. It reminds us that artists are always in dialogue, inspiring one another’s creativity across time.