Hanqavan flowers in the background of mountains 1974

Curator: Welcome! We’re standing before Mariam Aslamazian's "Hanqavan flowers in the background of mountains," an oil painting created in 1974. Editor: It has such a vibrant, almost naive quality. The composition feels incredibly dense, like a thick tapestry of color and form pressing forward. Curator: The texture, though rendered in oil, gives off the distinct sense of layering one often finds in tapestry work, doesn't it? Note also how the brushstrokes themselves remain visible, contributing to this impression. This is heightened further by the flattening of the perspective. Editor: Absolutely. And the mountain backdrop feels almost like a secondary thought, overwhelmed by the bouquet. Speaking of which, poppies, lilies, the abundant yellows… It’s all rather joyous. Are there particular symbols associated with any of the flowers in Armenian culture? Curator: Certainly. Poppies, in many contexts, represent remembrance, and lilies, purity. Yellow, on the other hand, frequently symbolizes intellect, wisdom, joy, but given its sheer prevalence here I would interpret its importance more from an artistic perspective; it brings a critical compositional balance against the surrounding colours and grounds the subject, contrasting beautifully with the sky. The piece adheres in part to the broader style of post-impressionism, and also touches on some naive techniques through its lack of technical perspective and reliance on bright colour. It is a masterful application of material which succeeds due to the careful juxtaposition of seemingly irreconcilable elements. Editor: So, is the combination a kind of meditation on memory and simple beauty? And I like your explanation of the mountains, its scale seems entirely dependent upon how one might interpret it given the framing within the flowers, rather than an adherence to physical space, as we might interpret our surroundings from reality. That makes the mountain something completely up for interpretation depending upon our current headspace. The mountains may even suggest more profound considerations, like cultural inheritance. Curator: A possibility. And this points towards how effective its semiotics are, precisely by not resting upon any one singular, or fixed meaning. Editor: This artwork has an effect! The density of floral symbols, forms and techniques, create a strong, evocative, and timeless effect that is extremely powerful.