Persian house 1913

Editor: So this is "Persian House," painted by Martiros Sarian in 1913, using watercolor and oil. It's striking how the house seems both nestled *within* the landscape and built *from* the landscape. What elements of its production stand out to you? Curator: Immediately, the watercolor technique points to a specific, readily available material – easily portable, hence suited to plein air painting favored at the time. Sarian’s apparent combination with oil is more intriguing; was it a later addition in the studio? A commentary on the perceived divide between “preparatory” sketch and “finished” work? Editor: That's a good point. Maybe he’s deliberately blurring the lines between sketch and painting. What do you make of the subject matter itself? Curator: Well, the title and the depiction of this seemingly vernacular building places it within a specific geographic and, dare I say, socio-economic context. Orientalism, which was then fashionable, played with idealized visions of other cultures and, at a time when industrial production was the norm in Europe, how do we read into this artist's return to simple subjects of Persia and Armenia? The labor involved in the original construction, using readily available local materials, contrasts with industrialized construction practices of Western urban landscapes. Does this building represent an untouched, 'pure' alternative? Editor: It sounds like you're seeing this piece as a comment on labor, materials, and even cultural identity, through its choice of subject and the artistic process? Curator: Precisely. Consider the implications of making this choice during a period of enormous upheaval and transformation across the world; the use of watercolor as opposed to oils. Sarian invites us to consider how the value of the ‘Oriental’ vernacular is affected by global industrialisation. Editor: It's fascinating how focusing on materials and production opens up so many avenues for interpreting the work. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Looking at the materiality challenges the viewer to question both cultural and artistic traditions.