Street in Cairo 1911

Martiros Sarian's ‘Street in Cairo’ is a painted scene that stops you in your tracks. The painting's surface is quite flat, quite still, and yet the scene is of busy Cairo street life! I wonder what Sarian was thinking when he made this? Maybe he was thinking about Matisse, or other Fauvist painters. I get the sense that he’s really responding to the light. It feels like it’s always sunset in Cairo, and it looks like he's used thin paint, almost like watercolour. Look at those figures; they're so present, but also anonymous. It’s fascinating how much can be achieved with so little. I love the way he leaves space for ambiguity and interpretation. Artists often look at each other’s work and ask questions, and in doing so, create something new. It’s like we’re all in conversation, all the time.