Autumn flowers and fruits 1939

Martiros Sarian made "Autumn flowers and fruits" with oils, building up layers of colour like a vibrant garden coming into being. There’s a kind of joy in those brushstrokes, a real physicality to the way he's daubed the paint, thick in some places, thinner in others, like he’s building up a bouquet right in front of us. I can imagine Sarian, squinting at the scene, really trying to capture the essence of each flower and fruit with a few well-placed strokes. It’s like he’s in a conversation with them, coaxing their colours and shapes onto the canvas. Notice how he uses these darker marks to give depth to the flowers. It almost feels like he's making the image come into being before our eyes. Painters are always chatting to each other across time, picking up on each other’s ideas and adding their own spin. Sarian’s got his own unique voice, his own way of seeing the world, and we get to be part of that. Painting doesn't need to be too clear; there is always room for our interpretations.