In front of the mirror (Lusik) 1939

This is a drawing, most likely made with charcoal, by Martiros Sarian in 1939. I can feel the artist making quick, short marks across the page, building up areas of tone to describe a woman's back, arms, and cascading hair. I can see the artist figuring it out as they go – it's an investigative process, you know? I wonder what Sarian was thinking about as he drew. Maybe he was interested in how light falls on the figure or maybe he was thinking about how to make a drawing that feels like a drawing, an authentic trace of a body. The way he’s drawn the hair is beautiful – a mass of energetic lines that are full of light. Sarian’s probably looked at Matisse, and lots of other artists over the years, and maybe he’s not even thinking about them in this moment, but they are there. It’s like we're all in a studio together. I find that so inspiring – artists in dialogue across time!