Daughter of the Pharaoh 

Curator: We’re looking at “Daughter of the Pharaoh”, a gouache painting by Margareta Sterian. Its themes blend abstraction with something suggestive of fantasy art. Editor: It’s evocative, almost dreamlike. The palette feels muted yet contains bright pops. I’m drawn to the textured application of paint. Curator: Consider how the composition orchestrates these juxtapositions of colour and form. We have these suggestive shapes; a figure perhaps, and a strange ornithomorphic suggestion towards the middle. How do they signify within this arrangement of line and tone? Editor: For me, the use of gouache is key here. It lends a certain opacity while retaining a fluidity, evident in the feathered edges. This medium and process allows Sterian to conjure both definition and the impression of movement in what is primarily an arrangement of white, black, and umber. There are vibrant inclusions though. I see dashes of pink, blue, and yellow that hint at luxury goods, adornments, and regalia from Egyptian society. Curator: The symbolic possibilities are numerous. But note also how the brushwork generates dynamism in a flattened field. See how discrete strokes of different pigment activate surface tension. What could you deduce from this? Editor: To speculate about materiality, given it is not dated, I would assume that materials were economically sourced because she lived most of her adult life during WWII and under the subsequent communist regime in Romania. It is likely the artwork would have had to negotiate these material circumstances, impacting accessibility of high quality paints, canvases, etc. This no doubt had significant impact upon the visual outcome and artistic process. Curator: That’s quite astute. While we cannot be entirely sure, the point that a painter such as Sterian worked in the conditions of scarcity is invaluable when appraising this piece. Let's step back, letting our interpretations mingle. Editor: Precisely. Viewing the art through the lens of artistic resourcefulness adds another interpretive layer. The blending of pigments becomes more charged. Curator: And my eye now settles back on that dance between suggestion and obliteration that characterizes the composition. A true encounter, wouldn’t you agree?