Illustration for book by V. Totovents 'Life on the old Roman road' 1934

Martiros Sarian made this illustration for a book in 1933, using ink on paper, probably with a dip pen. The bold lines are very expressive. Imagine Sarian, with the pen in his hand, drawing the cow with a few strokes, almost without lifting the pen from the paper. Look at the way he renders the shadow around the figure and the ground. I bet he was thinking about the relationship between humans, animals, and the land. I can feel it here, this feeling of being connected to the earth. I always feel that when the lines are strong, like here, it is like drawing the world into being. There is an ongoing conversation between artists across time. Each drawing or painting is a new way of seeing and thinking. They build on what came before, but always with a new perspective, a new way of feeling. And this piece invites multiple readings. It's never fixed, which is something to celebrate.