Fruits 1916

Curator: Immediately striking, isn't it? The density of colour... Martiros Sarian’s "Fruits", painted in 1916 using oil on canvas, feels simultaneously grounded and dreamlike. What is your first take? Editor: It feels… theatrical, almost stage-lit. The deep blue backdrop, combined with the boldly simplified forms of the fruit, lends it a symbolic quality. It's as if each fruit represents something more than just itself. Curator: Sarian was deeply interested in the interaction of light and colour, particularly how they related to a sense of place and culture. His Armenian heritage certainly influenced his approach. Look at the materiality of it—the visible brushstrokes, the slight impasto…these weren’t merely commercial goods; this fruit almost leaps off the surface. It becomes a tangible element of Armenian identity and artistic expression in a turbulent period of history. Editor: Absolutely. I am also captivated by how he presents familiar fruits. Consider, for example, the rosy-centered apple. It calls to mind the Garden of Eden, and ideas of knowledge, temptation and mortality are evoked by such archetypes. The other fruits, rendered in such simplistic, potent colors, enhance this effect. The composition isn't merely decorative. It seems to imply layers of hidden meanings. Curator: It's also interesting to see how Sarian engaged with and subverted Western art historical traditions, particularly still life. Whereas earlier artists sought almost photorealistic detail and an illusion of volume, here the artist prioritized subjective colour and design in rendering each element of nature and using industrial colours. You're really seeing the fruits of labour in terms of making art. The means of production are very evident, and make it relatable. Editor: Yes, those stark, artificial colours definitely enhance that unsettling and deeply symbolic feeling. It’s not a naturalistic depiction but one layered with cultural and psychological nuance. Curator: Ultimately, the painting prompts a larger discussion on culture, consumption and labor, doesn’t it? It seems Sarian captured something essentially and culturally significant through his particular engagement with paint and the simple object. Editor: Indeed. I feel as though this arrangement of vibrant produce becomes something much more than the sum of its parts. A world of symbols springs from the canvas to represent his world.