Old Yerevan 1928

Martiros Sarian made this oil painting, Old Yerevan, capturing a slice of life with strokes that feel both bold and dreamy. There is a real joy of seeing and feeling in this piece. I love how the colours create this warm, sun-drenched feeling, even though there's also a touch of melancholy in the muted tones. Look at the walls of the buildings – each one is like a block of light and shadow, built up with layers of paint. You can almost feel the roughness of the plaster. The way Sarian lays down the paint, not trying to hide the brushstrokes, makes you aware of the painting as a made thing, an object. The little figures dotted around the canvas are rendered with a minimal approach, like notes on a page, adding to the feeling that you're walking through a real place. Sarian was definitely tuned into the modernist conversation, but his work is full of his own distinct voice. It reminds me of early Matisse, but with a kind of wistful, almost folkloric twist. Art is always a dialogue, right? And Sarian is saying something new here.