Yerevan flowers 1957

Curator: Oh, wow. What a burst of joy. It’s almost overwhelming, isn’t it? A cacophony of color. Editor: Absolutely! Let me introduce us. This is “Yerevan Flowers,” a still life conjured up in 1957 by the Armenian master Martiros Sarian. You can find this oil on canvas residing at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Quite the pedigree, wouldn't you say? Curator: Pedigree aside, those oranges scattered on the patterned tablecloth...they anchor the piece. Give it a solidness amidst all that flamboyant floral energy. I keep wanting to pick one up. Editor: The fruit and the tablecloth present domestic bliss, though there's a clear move beyond merely decorative to exploring shape and colour. Flowers, for centuries, have symbolized cycles of life, beauty, and, yes, even transience. Their fleeting existence underscores that intense, concentrated moment captured here by Sarian. Look closer and tell me, do these particular flowers resonate with anything in particular? Curator: The Gladioli, maybe? Standing so tall, like soldiers in saffron and ochre... There’s something resilient in them. You almost wouldn't imagine these painted in a Cold War environment. It’s interesting, too, that even while adhering to some impressionistic gestures, he still goes beyond realism and evokes a profound sense of symbolic orientalism in color choice, forms, composition. Editor: Interesting. Sarian lived a life shaped by dramatic political shifts, witnessing both Tsarist Russia and the rise of the Soviet Union. One can’t help but consider those experiences subtly bleeding into his canvas, informing his choices on conveying hope within fragility. It's like a visual mantra that echoes resilience. And Sarian seems very consistent, exploring that subject with bright colour throughout his entire career. Curator: And yet, the individual blooms feel free, unrestrained. Perhaps that’s Sarian’s sly commentary? Even amidst larger forces, life—like these tenacious flowers—finds a way to celebrate and assert its beauty. So…it makes me appreciate them. More than the others here. Editor: You’ve nudged me towards a richer view. Sarian gifts us not just a painting of flowers, but a vibrant lesson on resilience and enduring hope. A quiet power blooms here.