Old Yerevan. On Zangu River Banks 1987

Petros Malayan made this painting of Old Yerevan, on the banks of the Zangu River, with what looks like gouache or thinned oil paint, using a limited palette of mostly grays and browns. The way he’s built up the textures here is so great, you can really see how the brushstrokes give shape to the scene. I love how he’s made the buildings feel both solid and crumbly, with these blocks of layered color, and then pops of bright blue and white. Look at the way the light hits the washing line, it’s like a visual pause in the dirtiness. And what’s so captivating is how Malayan balances between representation and something more abstract. The woman hanging up the wash is quickly done, but the clothes are luminous, like ghosts, drawing your eye into the heart of the scene. There's something about this that reminds me of Vuillard – the way he could make the everyday feel so full of atmosphere. It feels very real, capturing the transient beauty of a place on the cusp of change.