Wisteria 1910

Martiros Sarian made ‘Wisteria’, sometime in the early to mid twentieth century, using oil paint, with these graphic strokes like chunky hatchings. I love the idea of a plant being depicted as architecture, and a building appearing almost organic. Looking closely at the painting, you can see how Sarian uses the texture and color, and the physicality of the medium, to pull you into the scene. The paint is applied in these confident, almost architectural strokes. See how he builds up the wisteria, using blues and reds and lilacs, like individual tiles? It’s as if each petal is a carefully placed brushstroke. And there’s this interplay between the solid, blocky forms of the buildings and the soft, flowing shapes of the wisteria and trees. Sarian is playing with the idea of nature reclaiming architecture. It reminds me a little of Milton Avery, but with more bite. And it's such a playful dance, isn't it, between what we see and how we feel?