Street in Torun 1972

Petros Malayan made this atmospheric watercolor painting of a street in Torun. I’m immediately drawn to the somber palette, which seems to evoke the historical weight of the architecture depicted. The artist coaxes a range of tones from muted greys and ochres, building up layers of translucent color to create depth and texture. You can almost feel the dampness in the air, can’t you? I imagine Malayan standing in that very spot, squinting through the mist, trying to capture the essence of the place. It’s like he's searching for the soul of the city. The thin, watery paint allows for a certain looseness, a kind of atmospheric haziness that softens the edges of the buildings. It reminds me a little bit of Turner, but with a more intimate, human scale. Ultimately, painting is a conversation. Artists respond to what they see and feel, and then they share that with us. And now we get to respond, too.