Street in Barfrush 1913

Martiros Sarian made this drawing of a street in Barfrush in 1913, and what strikes me about it is the way he's letting us in on his process. It's like he's thinking with the pencil right there on the page. Look at how the lines build up the forms - the buildings, the trees, even the figure on horseback. Nothing is really solid, it's all just a collection of marks that suggest a place, a feeling of a place, more than describe it literally. See that little scribble that becomes the rider on the horse? It's so minimal, yet it totally works. It reminds me that art is about suggestion, about letting the viewer's eye and mind complete the picture. It’s like a visual shorthand that you also see in the work of Guston. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be so serious. Sometimes, it can just be playful and open-ended.