Visiting Anubis is one of the earliest versions of a subject that Henryk Waniek took up in subsequent years. The figurative mythology-themed painting depicts Anubis — the Egyptian god with the head of a jackal. In Waniek’s depiction, it is a figure of a seated black animal shown from the side (without human elements), resting on its front paws. The animal god — guardian of the dead, linked to life after death, identified as a protector of people and places — has been located in the courtyard of an ancient structure slowly being destroyed by the forces of nature. The glow of light in the black Anubis’ eyes adds drama to the scene and points out the still current role of the deity in the burial ground of a civilisation from an undefined time and space. The symbolism of the depiction is increased by the oneiric character of the visit. Who is visiting whom and what Anubis is protecting remains a mystery.

Michał Jachuła

translated by Paulina Bożek