Tall Clock 1937

Arsen Maralian made this rendering of a tall clock, sometime between 1855 and 1995, with what looks like watercolour on paper. The controlled blending of the paint suggests Maralian saw artmaking as a process of careful, patient refinement, much like the creation of the clock itself. The clock’s surface is rendered with such a thin wash of color, you can almost see the grain of the paper coming through, this makes the clock seem almost spectral. Look at how the light glances off the decorative wood panels, achieved with delicate strokes of darker pigment to mimic a wood grain pattern. What I find striking is the contrast between the clock's precision and the almost ghostly way it hovers on the page. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, where everyday objects are transformed into something timeless and ethereal. Ultimately, it's this sense of suspended time that resonates most, inviting contemplation beyond mere representation.