Old House Yerevan 1988

Petros Malayan’s ‘Old House Yerevan’ is a painting of a building made in 1968 with loose strokes and earthy tones. It’s hard to tell if the painting is finished or not. Maybe that’s the point? Looking at the colors and textures, I imagine Malayan building up the image through layers. He probably started with thin washes, letting the paint drip and pool to create that mottled effect. Then, I see him coming back with thicker strokes, defining the shapes of the buildings and trees. I feel like he’s inviting us into a conversation about memory, decay, and the way time transforms everything it touches. It reminds me of some of Diebenkorn’s landscapes, where the subject matter is less important than the act of seeing itself. It’s like Malayan is saying, “Here’s what I saw, but more importantly, here’s how I felt when I saw it.” And in that feeling, we find a connection that transcends time and place.