The Column 1997

This is Horia Bernea's 'The Column', and it looks like it’s made with watercolor and maybe some gouache on paper. I imagine Bernea layering thin washes of earthy colors, letting each layer dry before adding another. You can almost see him building the image slowly, intuitively, like a meditation. I am just imagining him moving back and forth, correcting, and improvising. The column itself is rendered with a delicate touch, a central vertical form which is repeated in a pattern and framed by an intricate decorative scheme. The color palette is muted and earthy, with touches of red, blue, and green. The surface has a gentle, almost ethereal quality. This feels like a study in repetition and transformation. Perhaps Bernea was looking at folk art and architecture, seeing how forms echo and evolve across cultures and time. Painting is an ongoing conversation, artists are always responding to one another, riffing on ideas, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Every gesture is an invitation to see and feel the world in a new way.