Kara-Dag Mountain 1922

Martiros Sarian made this painting of Kara-Dag Mountain in 1922, using oil on canvas. Look at how Sarian uses color to create form. See how the light, warm colors define the planes of the mountain, while the cool shadows suggest depth? For me, that’s where the magic happens, right there in the interplay of color and form, it’s about the process, that negotiation. The paint is applied in fairly thin layers, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through, which gives the whole thing a kind of dry, sun-baked feel. There’s a beautiful passage in the foreground, these almost cartoonish, blobby, green shrubs, which are offset against the warm, brownish tones of the field. I particularly love how Sarian suggests form with these simple, bold strokes, creating a sense of volume and depth without getting too fussy or detailed. It puts me in mind of Milton Avery, another painter who could do so much with so little, boiling things down to their essence. Ultimately, it’s about how we see and how we interpret what we see, isn’t it? And Sarian invites us to see the world through his eyes, in all its vibrant, sun-drenched beauty.