Persia 1913

Martiros Sarian painted 'Persia' with oil, in a way that is just so visually generous. The colours are rich, leaning towards warm tones, and the brushwork is visible, reminding us that this scene is built from layers of decisions. Looking closely, you’ll see how Sarian builds the image with strokes that define forms but also let the colours bleed into each other, it’s not overworked, it’s like he’s chasing after an idea. Take the cat, for example, it’s just a dark blob, but it holds its own in the composition. It's right there in the heart of the painting, nestled among these figures. The whole thing has a kind of pulsating rhythm, that comes from the colour and mark-making. Sarian reminds me of Matisse, because they both have a fearlessness to use colour and find a way of building a picture that feels alive. In both artists there’s a joy in the making, and they remind us of how paintings construct different ways of experiencing the world.