Still-life. Watermelon 1960

Curator: Looking at this vivid composition, we have Minas Avetisyan's "Still-life. Watermelon," created around 1960. He employs oil paint in a manner reminiscent of Fauvism. Editor: Immediately striking is its vibrancy. The electric blues combined with the fiery reds and oranges, there is a sense of energy that completely re-interprets the still life format. It's joyful, even provocative. Curator: It's fascinating how Avetisyan, working in Soviet Armenia, embraced the Fauvist movement decades after its heyday in Western Europe. We can consider the role that these "outdated" aesthetic choices played. He challenges socialist realism norms. What statements was he trying to make? Editor: Absolutely. In that context, the intensity of color becomes a political act. He isn't just painting fruit. The very choice of expression flies in the face of prescribed artistic styles that seek to neutralize subjectivity. Curator: Furthermore, notice how he reduces forms to their essential geometric shapes. A triangle for a slice of melon, spheres for other fruits. It’s a bold move away from strict representation. Editor: The geometry lends itself well to abstraction. When observing the work in full, it's worth noting the complete dismissal of photorealism, an aesthetic deeply connected to artistic freedom and social liberation through representation. Curator: It reminds us that artistic movements aren't monolithic entities confined by geography or time. Avetisyan proves that artists will reclaim ideas and challenge prescribed norms in varied ways depending on sociopolitical conditions. Editor: Considering how much power regimes invested in aesthetic standardization, a simple "still life" takes on defiant new implications. To think that one image can convey all of that! Curator: Precisely. "Still-life. Watermelon" gives a glimpse into how art, in Avetisyan's case, functions as both resistance and radical beauty. Editor: Right. I will carry those vibrant colours with me now with new political charge and awareness.