Peonies 1916

Curator: Here we have Martiros Sarian's "Peonies," created in 1916. The work, held in a private collection, is painted with tempera. It exemplifies the expressionist style that was emerging at the time. Editor: Ah, a moment of quiet intensity! Those peonies are almost vibrating against the darker background. There’s a visual richness in the textures and form. What story do you think Sarian wanted to share with this? Curator: Sarian was deeply connected to his Armenian heritage, although trained in Moscow. Expressionism, as you see it here, offered artists of the period the vocabulary to express emotions. During a period of political upheaval and cultural identity. Sarian, through still life, could be seen engaging with ideas of cultural belonging. The flowers might signify something deeply personal within the artist’s own life experiences. Editor: Yes! There's a longing in the blooms. I wonder if the color choices – that muted palette – hints at something beyond mere beauty. A little homesickness, maybe? The arrangement itself feels deliberate, like each object is carefully chosen for symbolic weight. Curator: Indeed. Sarian had left his homeland at a young age. The yellow pot adorned with flowers almost serves as a character, adding to this potential story of what domesticity may have meant to him. How do you think Sarian uses a technique to enhance his expressive language? Editor: I love how he outlines everything, even the light reflecting off the plate. And the textures, although simple, have weight and physicality. It lends to this idea of a symbolic construction. As if all things are bound to other. Curator: An idea supported by the formal qualities that blend early modernist experimentation and his distinct worldview. His contribution lies in the development of modern art within Armenia and across the wider Soviet sphere. Editor: It makes you realize how much of art is a quiet conversation with yourself and with history. Beautiful, almost hushed, in its intensity. Curator: Precisely. A poignant meditation on cultural roots and a perfect piece to consider the many intersecting influences that come together in early 20th century art.