Old House Yerevan 1988

Petros Malayan made this painting, Old House Yerevan, with what looks like oil, or maybe gouache, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. The colour palette is subdued, earthy – browns, greys, greens – but there’s a liveliness to the mark-making that gives the piece a real energy. Looking closely, you can see how Malayan has layered thin washes of paint, allowing the texture of the surface to peek through. There’s a looseness, a kind of joyful abandon, in the way the lines are drawn. Take the doorway on the left, for example. It’s not a precise representation, but it captures the essence of the place, the feeling of a space that's been worn down by time. The artist plays with this sense of depth and flatness, pulling you in and pushing you away at the same time. Malayan reminds me a little of Milton Avery, in the way he simplifies form and uses colour to create atmosphere. But there’s something uniquely Armenian in his approach, a sense of history and place that resonates deeply. Art is an invitation, not a pronouncement.