Cliffs 1929

Martiros Sarian made this drawing of ‘Cliffs’ with what looks like charcoal, and it's all about the stark contrasts, isn't it? Imagine the artist standing there, charcoal in hand, trying to capture these monumental cliffs with just a few lines. You know, there’s a kind of bravery in that, reducing something so massive to a series of marks on paper. What was Sarian thinking as he made this? Maybe about the weight of the mountains, the enduring presence of nature against the fleeting nature of human existence. Look how the strokes give a sense of depth, of form. The texture is almost palpable, you can almost feel the roughness of the rock. And how one dark mark can change the feeling of the whole picture. This piece reminds me of others who tried to do similar things, like Cezanne's mountains. Artists are constantly in conversation, riffing off each other. It’s like a big game of telephone where each artist adds their own spin. Ultimately, painting is an embodied experience. It is not about definitive readings. It’s open to whatever you make of it!