Lori 1925

Martiros Sarian made this small, intimate drawing, Lori, in 1925, using pencil on paper. I can imagine him working en plein air. The paper seems to absorb the graphite, creating a soft, almost hazy effect. See how the lines vary in pressure and density, creating a sense of depth and form. The mountains in the background are rendered with bolder, darker strokes, while the foreground is lighter and more tentative. The repeated vertical marks, especially in the mid-ground, could be fields or architecture. These marks are rhythmic and give a sense of place, but also have an abstract quality. These marks resonate with those of Cézanne’s late watercolors of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Ultimately, this drawing captures a moment in time and an artist’s attempt to grasp the essence of a landscape. Artists are always looking and learning from those who came before, and it’s so cool to see those connections play out across time.