Portrait of an art critic Abram Efros 1944

Martiros Sarian painted this portrait of the art critic Abram Efros sometime around 1944, and its a real lesson in how to make colours sing. Sarian lays down these strokes of pure colour, and somehow they build into a face, a jacket, a stripy background that vibrates with energy. The materiality of the paint is so present here, you can almost feel the brushstrokes. Look how he builds up the face with these gentle pinks, greens, and yellows – a real masterclass in colour theory. And it's interesting, right, that he's painting an art critic? You get the feeling that Sarian is not trying to impress, but rather engage in a visual conversation with a fellow thinker. It reminds me of Matisse’s portraits—that same commitment to colour, that same interest in the dialogue between artist and sitter. It's like he’s saying, "Here's how I see the world, what do you think?". Art, after all, is just one big, ongoing conversation.