Saint Hripsime Church. Etchmiadzin 1913

Yeghishe Tadevosyan painted this small oil sketch of Saint Hripsime Church in Etchmiadzin, Armenia, sometime in the early 20th century. It's all about process, you can tell Tadevosyan is thinking through the scene, not trying to copy it. The paint is applied directly, in visible strokes, creating a surface that’s alive with texture. Look at the way he’s built up the ochre and umber tones of the church walls, layering warm and cool shades to suggest the play of light. It’s so tactile, like you could reach out and feel the rough stone. I love how he’s used these little dashes of green to suggest vegetation, it’s so immediate. Notice the sky, though, how that’s a smooth, pale blue – it’s a totally different feel. And yet it really sets off the building. Tadevosyan’s work reminds me a bit of Cezanne, that same interest in the weight and volume of things, the same commitment to painting as a way of seeing. But of course, Tadevosyan brings his own perspective, his own sense of place. For him, art isn't just about depicting a scene; it's about capturing a feeling, a sense of being in the world.