Burial 2009

Eduardo Berliner made this painting called ‘Burial’, but I don’t know when. The earthy palette and slightly awkward composition suggest a process of experimentation and discovery, rather than a calculated result. The painting has a kind of raw, almost unsettling energy, and I am drawn to that figure in the fox mask, he’s like a character in a half-remembered dream. Look at the texture of the paint itself – it’s thick in places, almost sculptural, and then thin and translucent in others, especially in the background, and those thin washes bring a ghostly, ethereal quality to the painting, as if the scene is emerging from or dissolving back into the unknown. The way Berliner layers the paint reminds me of Francis Bacon, in his use of ambiguous figures and psychological depth. Ultimately, Berliner's ‘Burial’ resists easy interpretation, but it’s that ambiguity which makes it so compelling. It invites us to bring our own stories, fears, and desires to the surface, and to confront the mysteries that lie beneath.