Autumn still life 1961

Martiros Sarian made this painting, Autumn Still Life, with thick daubs of color. The painting feels like it came into being slowly, like a gardener arranging fruit, one by one, or maybe more chaotically, in the manner of someone grabbing all the fruit that they can from the tree at once! I can imagine Sarian working en plein air, squinting, and trying to capture the last bit of warmth and color from the fading season. I'm particularly drawn to how the yellow and red apples contrast with the cool blues and purples of the mountainous landscape in the distance. The thick paint is applied with short, choppy brushstrokes, and each mark is imbued with a sense of intention. The textures and the way the surface of the paint reflects light all contribute to a rich and embodied viewing experience. Sarian’s painting evokes a sense of immediacy. Through this lens, the painting and the act of painting, becomes a way of seeing and experiencing the world. And it reminds me that artists are always responding to one another, building upon and transforming what has come before.