The Forgotten Ritual is a thick, multi-layered impasto oil painting on board that serves as an exploration into the shadows of antiquity. Through my work, I sought to channel the heavy, unresolved weight of ancient, forgotten ceremonies—specifically the solemn and profound human sacrifices practiced centuries ago by the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas.
I built the surface of this piece using heavy, aggressive applications of oil paint with a palette knife, allowing the thick ridges and valleys to catch the light and cast shadows, much like the rugged stone altars and time-worn ruins of Mesoamerican temples. Dominated by a dense accumulation of thick red paint across the upper register, this section is a stark representation of the blood spilled during these sacred, ancient rituals of sacrifice. The interplay of brilliant yellows, cooling blues, and dark undertones beneath the crimson layer speaks to the duality of these ancient cultures—the blinding glare of sun-drenched stone pyramids set against the dark, mysterious depths of ritualistic devotion and finality.
This painting stands as a visceral bridge to a distant past, capturing the raw, tactile essence of history’s most deeply guarded ceremonial mysteries.
