The portrait of writer E. Khojik 1943

Mariam Aslamazian painted this portrait of writer E. Khojik, using oil on canvas. The brushstrokes here are very present, and the colors seem to be built up in layers. It feels like Aslamazian is thinking through paint, letting the process guide her hand. There’s something about the way she’s handled the colors around the writer's face that really grabs me. The blues and reds aren’t blended smoothly; they sit together, creating this vibrant tension. The paint isn’t thick, but it’s definitely not hiding anything. You can see each stroke, each decision. I think it’s really interesting that the colors and the brushwork are so strong in the face, drawing your eye to the expression, and the rest of the composition is much more muted. This reminds me a little of Alice Neel, both in the directness of the gaze and the almost brutal honesty of the brushwork. It’s like both artists are saying, “Here’s what I see, take it or leave it.” And for me, that kind of raw vulnerability is what makes art so powerful.