Flowers 1960

Curator: At first glance, this artwork seems to be teeming with vitality; like a sunlit garden just after a rain shower, no? Editor: Quite so. Let’s introduce it properly. This captivating still-life is “Flowers” painted in 1960 by Martiros Sarian. Currently, it resides in a Private Collection. You know, Sarian really throws us headfirst into a swirling pool of colours, doesn't he? I think that’s really why I love this painting. Curator: He absolutely does. In many ways, “Flowers” is more of an experience than a depiction. The vase almost vanishes amidst the bouquet. For me, that dark abyss lends this otherwise lively picture an edge, an existential sigh even. Do you pick up on those feelings? Editor: Most definitely. While Sarian might not have intended a meditation on the transient nature of life, the arrangement is still laden with symbolic echoes, which tap into humanity's historical dance with flowers, a conversation full of complex and even contradictory notions, representing both joyful events and mourning. Curator: So, Sarian isn’t simply painting blooms, he’s reminding us of that bittersweet connection, even when these post-impressionistic brushstrokes convey something a lot more vital. As I look closer at his medium—these swirls of thick oil paint—they start resembling living brushstrokes, a rhythm mirroring the very pulsing core of nature. Editor: And because Sarian worked on “Flowers” mid-career, do you believe it echoes a period of contemplation for the painter, where his use of light and shade create tension? Or do you find a painter joyfully creating this narrative composition? Curator: I would like to think it’s both. When standing before it I cannot help but marvel, not only at its composition and play of colours, but also the fact that one artwork, so deeply entrenched in joy, may be a vehicle for such profound considerations on nature, beauty, and existence. Editor: Right, this canvas really allows us to not only perceive but also feel and remember. So I propose that “Flowers” should always remind us to embrace, if not all things beautiful, at least what it can, and should.