Portrait of Mnatsakan Gyulnazaryan 1915

Martiros Sarian painted this portrait of Mnatsakan Gyulnazaryan, using an economy of form and color that really packs a punch. The planes of his face are built up with these confident, geometric strokes—like the warm tones around his cheekbones and jawline. I love the material quality, it feels really direct. Nothing is obscured. It feels like you can see all the decisions the artist made, like you're witnessing the process of how the painting came to be. Look at the way Sarian builds up the eyebrows, these bold, dark strokes that create so much character. It’s not about realism but some kind of distilled essence. This reminds me of the work of Alexej von Jawlensky, and how he explored simplification and spiritual expression through portraiture. It is a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself, reaching across time and influencing future generations.