Egyptian women 1911

Martiros Sarian's 'Egyptian Women' is a world conjured in oil paint, a generous slab of color, line, and form. I can imagine him in his studio, maybe even outside, grappling with those ochres, blues, and greens, trying to lasso the light and hold it still on the canvas. It's a scene of two women amidst the architecture and foliage of Egypt. The paint's applied with a kind of determined softness, those strokes working together to make up something that feels both present and far away. See how the fruit on the plate seems to hover, while the bodies of the figures echo the shapes of ancient columns. It's as if Sarian is not just painting what he sees, but also how he feels, remembering, dreaming. It all makes me think about how artists keep talking to each other, across time and space, borrowing a little, adding a little, stirring the pot. We keep this conversation going, one painting at a time.