| Entry: | This is my first diary entry, despite being my third year here. I have had a very clear epiphany about my work here and wanted to share it. For two seasons now I have been working on the geometric wall painting in Building 80, Feature 5014. While uncovering it last year, I noticed areas of repetition in the painting. The areas of repetition led to the idea that the painting had been repainted as the maintenance of the plaster occurred through the walls life in the Neolithic. More specifically, that the wall had been covered over in fine plaster and then repainted in the same design. Upon further exploration and removal of layers of plaster, however, I have come to understand the painting had not been redone, but restored. It seems obvious in retrospect that given the resources to create a painting of this nature; once it began to show wear and tear it would be retouched and not scrapped. In this instance the painting has been restored four times. To me this speaks to the importance of this painting, and makes me wonder why it was eventually covered by 20+ layers of fine plaster before the building was eventually abandoned. The effort to maintain this painting probably speaks more to the artist’s intent, but a small part of me is delighted by the idea of sharing the work of a Neolithic colleague. |
