Intérieurs 1978

René Bertholo created ‘Intérieurs’ as a visual exploration of space and identity. Bertholo was a Portuguese artist deeply influenced by the sociopolitical environment of his time, marked by censorship and a rigid authoritarian regime. The artwork is split into two distinct internal spaces, each with its own character. The upper space feels dreamlike, with views of clouds and the ocean, telescopes that point to pyramids topped with a crescent and a cross, and what appears to be a person floating underwater. The lower space has sharp, pointed pyramids, blueprints, and what looks like a control panel. These spaces hint at a complex interplay between the external and internal, the visible and the hidden. Bertholo uses symbolic imagery to question how our personal spaces shape, and are shaped by, our emotional and intellectual lives. Bertholo often said that art should be an "instrument of knowledge," and here we see how he uses the personal and the intimate to reflect on broader societal themes. ‘Intérieurs’ invites us to consider the relationship between our inner selves and the external forces that shape us.