Poppies 1958

Martiros Sarian made this painting of Poppies in 1958, we can see he approached it with a real sense of immediacy. His brushstrokes are bold and expressive, almost like he’s trying to capture the fleeting essence of these flowers. There's a certain flatness to the painting. It’s like Sarian is playing with how we perceive depth and form. Take a look at the way he’s rendered the petals, they’re these luscious daubs of color, thick and juicy, almost good enough to eat! There's one particular poppy that grabs my attention. It’s the one at the bottom, slightly hidden behind the others. There's something really intriguing about the way he’s used contrasting tones to create depth within its dark centre. You can see echoes of Matisse in Sarian's work, particularly in his use of vibrant color and simplified forms. But there’s also something uniquely Sarian about it too, a kind of raw, untamed energy that makes it totally captivating.