Flowers of Dilijan 1963

Martiros Sarian painted these Flowers of Dilijan with oil on canvas. The directness of Sarian's brushstrokes gets me. He lays the paint down, seemingly without fuss, almost like he’s swatting at a fly. Look at the way he builds those flowers up. Each dab of paint feels like a decision, a small act of faith in the process. The surface has this wonderful texture, built up from layers of color. There's this one little red flower drooping to the left. See how he captures the weight of it with just a few strokes? It’s like he’s saying, "Yep, even beauty can be a little melancholic sometimes." I also love how he uses color so boldly, not trying to make it look "real," but instead heightening the emotion. The colors and surface seem to push forward, into our space. Sarian's work reminds me a little of Matisse in its use of color and flattened perspective. Yet, he has his own unique voice, a kind of raw honesty that I find really compelling. Art’s not about having all the answers; it’s about asking the right questions and trusting the journey.