Street in Torun 1972

Petros Malayan made this painting, Street in Torun, with watercolor, and it’s a moody one. The buildings lean in, all grays and browns. You can almost smell the damp stone. Look at how Malayan builds up the textures – layer upon layer of transparent washes, each one changing the ones underneath. Watercolor is so fluid, it has a mind of its own; you coax rather than control it, and I get the sense Malayan enjoys that back and forth. See the way the light catches on the building on the right? It’s not just paint; it's light, filtered through pigment. This piece reminds me of Edward Hopper, not in style, but in feeling: that quiet, slightly melancholy vibe. But Malayan leaves more to the imagination. It’s a dance between what’s there and what isn’t, a reminder that art is never really finished, just abandoned.