Grapes on the ground 1948

Mariam Aslamazian made this painting, Grapes on the ground, with oil on canvas. I imagine her standing in front of a table or perhaps she's outside, carefully studying each bunch of grapes. The brushstrokes are visible and confident, particularly where she captures the highlights on the grapes and olives. What was she thinking when she dabbed on that little dot of white to make a grape pop? It’s like she’s saying, "Here I am, a painter, making these grapes sing!" It is interesting to see this flattened perspective - the grapes are almost exploding out of the picture plane! I bet Aslamazian was in conversation with the still life paintings of Cezanne. Artists are always building on the past, remixing and reimagining what came before. For me, painting is about embracing the mess and seeing where it leads. It's not about perfection; it's about the journey. There is so much humanity to be found in each and every brushstroke.