Poppies 1958

Martiros Sarian made this painting, Poppies, in oil with a juicy, bright palette, and you can almost feel the energy of the brushstrokes. What gets me is the way Sarian builds up the surface. Look at how the reds of the poppies vary. It’s not just one flat color, but a layering of strokes that creates a kind of shimmering effect. There's this dance between thick and thin paint, where some areas are almost translucent and others have a real heft to them. It’s like he’s wrestling with the paint, trying to capture the fleeting beauty of these flowers. The dark centers of the poppies are particularly striking, almost like little portals drawing you in. Sarian reminds me a bit of Emil Nolde, with his bold colors and expressive brushwork. But Sarian brings his own unique sensibility, a kind of sun-drenched optimism that feels distinctly Armenian. It reminds us that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time and place.