Karelia. Kurazanda 1969

Petros Malayan made "Karelia. Kurazanda" using gentle marks and a muted palette, where the boats are a bright, deep blue. You can imagine him building the scene bit by bit, guided by intuition, watching for it to emerge. I really sympathize with the artist here. Think about setting up your easel on a grey day, squinting and wondering where to start. It's all about that first gesture, right? It must have been the sky or perhaps the dark buildings. Those lines carry a lot of weight. I wonder if he considered the space between the buildings and the boats; how they seem to echo each other. And that figure walking off into the distance? That's a very thoughtful element. Malayan is in conversation with other artists, and you can see how they all inspire each other’s creativity across time. What's interesting to me is how painting embraces uncertainty, allowing for all sorts of meanings. It's really up to you how you interpret it.