Mariana Berardi, Between the Argentine Pampas and Europe

Mariana Berardi was born in Buenos Aires but has lived in Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe since 2015.

Inspired by the calmness of the rural landscape and the pampas’ animals, she creates paintings and watercolours. With experience in stage design at Teatro Colón and extensive training including years of art studies in France, her work flows between the slow pace of the countryside and the intensity of colour. In this interview, Berardi shares how “time moves at the pace of the tractor,” the role that continuous training plays in her career, and which lessons from Paris remain alive in her painting. A conversation that reveals how the creative freedom of her work is underpinned by discipline and education.

How did your perspective change when you left Buenos Aires and settled in Venado Tuerto?

I am originally from Buenos Aires city which is always busy and vibrant. Venado Tuerto on the other hand, is a small city of 80,000 inhabitants in Santa Fe Province, the heart of the humid pampas. Venado Tuerto is surrounded by vast stretches of farmland and has a strong agricultural presence. When I moved here with my family 10 years ago I couldn’t even imagine that this new place would become my greatest source of inspiration. Venado Tuerto gave me the ability to pause and slow down. The countryside became my main driving force, creating a need to convey in my work what I feel when I am there: the calm of contemplating the immensity of nature and immersing myself in its musical silence.

How does this rural environment influence your work?

Rural life moves me, connects me with the here and now and awakens my senses. Time is slower, almost immeasurable. Nature speaks and I am more permeable to it: I look at the sky when I sense a storm is coming, breathe-in the scent of rain on dry soil when it hasn’t rained in a while. I now pause every time an animal stares at me. I feel the need to communicate and share all these experiences and emotions from the pampas in my own way, authentically.

How does living in a place where “time moves at the pace of the tractor” reflect in your work?

It shows vividly in my palette, dominated by neutral colours and in my way of painting. My technique requires pauses: working layer upon layer demands stopping and waiting. There are moments when moving forward means stepping back, and that’s when I sit in my studio with a cup of tea in my hands, watching the drying process take its course without my intervention. I just observe.

What do the animals of the humid pampas convey to you, and how do you depict them in your paintings?

There’s something captivating about representing a living being. The silent dialogue between gazes and the invisible bond that forms. The animals of the pampas inspire me with their nobility and calmness, and when I portray them, I aim to go beyond their form, capturing the vital energy that defines them.

What sensations or atmospheres do you want your paintings to convey?

I want to convey presence, patience, pause, the unhurried rhythm inherent to life in the countryside. I want to invite viewers to breathe-in the field, to let themselves be wrapped up in the colours of nature, and by that serene atmosphere that opens the immensity of the pampas, very different and contrasting with the urban noise.

Tell us about your technique and the materials you use.

Most of my materials are water-based, and water is the main character as it brings all other materials together during the creative process. Layer upon layer, overlapping transparencies, acrylic, watercolour, and diluted pigments cover the canvases. Because my stroke gives me confidence in the creative process, I emphasize it with coloured oil pastels. I never use black, only complementary colours.

Why is it so important to attend to the economic and financial side as an artist?

Being an artist is, after all, a job like any other. Painting involves investing in quality materials, training, workshops, supplies, and everything that makes the work possible. Being financially smart allows creativity to flow, the studio to keep functioning, and the art to grow sustainably over the years.

How do you invest in your development as an artist?

Training is an essential part of any artist’s career. I participate in work clinics where I meet other artists and we examine the evolution of our work. I take technical and specialized training, like colour theory or watercolour. I also do financial and business management courses because maintaining a well-organized and sustainable practice is as important as creativity. Additionally, I attend writing workshops, which help me put into words what my works aim to convey.

Which lessons from Paris remain alive in your work today?

Paris had a big impact on who I am today. It not only opened me to the creative world, with art in every corner but also the solitude of being abroad moved me deeply and connected me to my core. It made me feel free and independent, although I was lucky to live right next to the Argentine embassy, seeing my country’s flag fly every day was a constant reminder of where I came from. Venado Tuerto, on the other hand, makes me pause and gives me time to observe and absorb.

Returning to Europe to exhibit after several years, what feelings and expectations does this reunion bring?

I will be participating in ART 3F in Monaco in September and Art MUC in Munich in October, with the support of Galería Gaudí (Madrid). I am very happy to see how everything I have been working on for years is taking shape and growing. I am very grateful.

I am very excited to bring a piece of my beloved Argentina to Europe, and I hope my work resonates deeply.

Europe—and especially Paris— gave me the confidence to connect with my most authentic creativity. It was there where I discovered a sincere link between my mind and my hands, an absolute freedom that shaped me forever. Today, returning to exhibit in Monaco and Munich is reconnecting me with the creative impulse that has accompanied me ever since.

https://theobserverjournal.com/mariana-berardi-between-the-argentine-pampas-and-europe/