Morocco. Sefrou. The roofs of the city 1932

Zinaida Serebriakova captured this scene of Sefrou, Morocco with watercolor, presenting a tapestry of flat rooftops under a North African sky. The rooftops here are reminiscent of ancient ziggurats, platforms reaching towards the heavens, a recurring motif found across Mesopotamian art and architecture. These stepped structures not only served functional purposes, but also acted as symbolic bridges between earth and sky, much like the pyramids of Egypt. The figures scattered across the rooftops, small and solitary, evoke a sense of timelessness. They remind me of figures from Renaissance frescoes, carrying a quiet dignity that transcends their humble surroundings. Their presence is a powerful emotional force, engaging us on a deep, subconscious level. This cyclical recurrence highlights how symbols evolve, resurface, and take on new meanings throughout different epochs.