Olshtin Street 1973

Editor: Petros Malayan's "Olshtin Street," painted in 1973. It seems like a quiet, almost dreamlike cityscape, executed with a muted palette. All those subdued colors evoke a nostalgic kind of melancholy. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Melancholy is a great starting point! It's interesting how Malayan captures that sense of stillness, isn’t it? I get a sense of time standing still—it's there in the almost stage-like composition. Does that little car not seem like a prop on a stage set for a play? It's Realism, yet there is a touch of the Surreal... as if the scene is recalled through the imperfect lens of memory. What about the high-rise in the background – does it look in or out of place to you? Editor: I didn't really notice the building at first. Now that you mention it, it seems quite out of place - towering over these older structures. Almost like a premonition or perhaps a visual representation of changing times. Curator: Precisely! It jars us – disrupts that nostalgic feeling. And that subtle tension, that gentle disturbance... well, isn't that how real life always intrudes on our cherished memories? I think Malayan invites us to contemplate the co-existence of the past and the future within the present, or how fleeting memories are against constant urban transformation. Editor: So, it is more than just a simple cityscape; it reflects societal changes. Thank you, that gives me a lot to think about! Curator: My pleasure. Perhaps next time we can dive into the technical execution and symbolism?