Karelia. North 1970

Petros Malayan created this painting, Karelia. North, using oil. The landscape unfolds through simplified forms and muted tones, dominated by shades of green, ochre, and grey. The broad, sweeping brushstrokes, particularly evident in the depiction of the mountains and sky, evoke a sense of the sublime. The painting employs a compositional structure that is divided horizontally, contrasting the heavy, imposing mountains with the flat, somewhat barren foreground. This division invites a reading of the artwork as a commentary on the relationship between man and nature. The figure standing by the boat is dwarfed by the vast landscape, highlighting a sense of human insignificance against the backdrop of the natural world. Malayan's strategic use of colour and light, together with the suggestive rather than descriptive brushwork, invites the viewer to contemplate the transient and complex relationship between humanity and its environment.