Church Karmravor of VII century 1956

Martiros Sarian painted this view of the Church Karmravor of VII century, probably in oil paint, judging by the looseness and viscosity of the marks. The ochre and creamy-yellows that model the hill, buildings, and church, feel sun-drenched and warm. It's that kind of heat that bleaches the colour out of everything. Sarian’s got a great way of using strokes of colour that are kind of separate but create the effect of light, like those short strokes of blue in the sky. I love the way he lays down the paint, it feels very instinctive. There’s a lot of texture, a bit rough, which gives a sense of the dry, arid landscape. Then, there's that little dark blue doorway, nestled in shadow, where a figure stands, about to enter. It's a really inviting detail, like a secret passage. Sarian reminds me a little of Milton Avery in his approach to colour, finding a way to evoke the feeling of a place with a few simple shades. He invites us to see a familiar scene in a new, more expressive way.