Mountain flowers 1967

Martiros Sarian daubed these mountain flowers onto a surface, probably canvas, with oil paint. I'm thinking about the way Sarian laid down those strokes, one after the other, with a brush full of paint – imagine the dabs and flicks accumulating into these robust forms. The yellows are luminous, offset against the greens and browns of the leaves and vase. It's a real balancing act between observation and invention. Looking at this painting, I feel the artist really grappling with something. Perhaps they were thinking about memory? Or longing? I find myself wondering what the original source of inspiration was - those ‘mountain flowers.’ How long did they last in the vase? There's so much implied, so much left unsaid. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with one another, across time, drawing inspiration from the world, and from each other. And that's kind of beautiful, isn't it? A legacy of seeing.