The portait of old bolshevik Berberyan 1947

Mariam Aslamazian painted this portrait of old bolshevik Berberyan with what looks like thin layers of oil. It's like she's building up the face, mapping it out in strokes of pinks, yellows and greys. For me, artmaking is a process, not just about the end result, but about the conversation you have with the painting as you go. Take a look at the cheekbones. See how Aslamazian uses these dabs of bright rose to suggest the structure beneath? The paint is applied thinly and directly. You can sense the presence of the artist through the marks left by the brush. The grey background is not just a flat plane, but alive with subtle variations of tone. It's as if Aslamazian wanted to show us the face emerging from a haze. This portrait reminds me of Alice Neel, another artist who wasn't afraid to show the marks of her own making. Both artists share a passion for humanism, embracing ambiguity, and opening up multiple ways of interpreting the world.