Toy Horse 1935 - 1942

Arsen Maralian’s ‘Toy Horse’ presents a fascinating blend of playful subject matter and structural simplicity. Executed in muted tones, the watercolor washes create a flat, almost diagrammatic representation of a child’s toy. The horse is constructed from basic geometric forms, with the body and legs rendered as cylinders, and the head as a simplified block. Notice how the texture, with its speckled pattern and visible cracks, infuses the drawing with a sense of age and materiality. These visual elements, particularly the flatness and lack of depth, evoke a sense of naive or folk art. The drawing also prompts us to consider the relationship between representation and reality. Maralian isn’t just depicting a toy; he’s also highlighting the constructed nature of objects and images. This interplay challenges our perceptions and invites us to question the boundaries between art, representation, and the everyday. Through its formal qualities, ‘Toy Horse’ engages in a subtle dialogue about art’s capacity to reflect and reshape our understanding of the world.