Toy Pump 1935 - 1942

Arsen Maralian’s ‘Toy Pump’—I'm guessing he made it without knowing exactly when it would be seen, or by whom. It's got this quiet quality, almost like a dream, which is interesting, considering its a painted object of a real-world object. I wonder, did Arsen play with something similar as a child? Maybe, maybe not. The image is presented on a muted brown table-like base. The colours are muted, giving it an antique feel. It makes you think, doesn’t it? About how artists, like Arsen, are just trying to figure things out, same as the rest of us. You can see the details, and the way the paint handles the light. Did he see something that caught his eye in the pump, or did he know how to make it a painting? Painters are always in conversation, across time and space, figuring out their shared language and their own, and I love that so much.