Armenia 1922

Editor: Here we have "Armenia," painted in 1922 by Martiros Sarian, using oil on canvas. The colours are so warm, and there's a real stillness to it, even though it’s a landscape. The geometry gives me this childlike feel, in the same vein as Matisse. I’m really drawn in but I want to know more… How do you interpret this work? Curator: Ah, Sarian! He’s a bit like sunshine bottled in paint. Notice how he simplifies the landscape— mountains become gentle giants, fields turn into textured blocks. He distills Armenia to its essence. For me, Sarian seeks a dreamlike vision, a return to a cultural source… does the subdued colour palette speak to that effect, for you, too? Editor: Yes, definitely. It feels ancient and almost… mythic. But also, a bit melancholic. The geometric abstraction almost mutes a more traditional form. Curator: Exactly! I think you’ve hit on something there. While he uses elements of Post-Impressionism and Modernism, there's a deep sense of place, of longing. You almost smell the dry earth, and the faint trace of spice in the air… It feels both present and a distant memory. The soul of a nation rendered with tenderness. Does it shift how you perceive Sarian, or landscapes of cultural memory, now? Editor: Definitely. I came in thinking "landscape, oil, colour." But you’ve framed it so emotionally. It’s more about feeling than just seeing, right? It gives so much depth, beyond what meets the eye at first look! Curator: And that is the delightful treasure that lives in experiencing art, dear Editor.