Portrait of a film director Ruben Simonov 1939

Martiros Sarian painted this portrait of film director Ruben Simonov in 1935 with visible brushstrokes and a warm, inviting color palette. You can see how Sarian's process feels very intuitive, like he’s figuring out the composition as he goes. The yellow background is particularly striking; it's almost buzzing with energy. The surface has this slightly textured feel, and you can see how the paint is applied in layers, some thin and transparent, others thicker and more opaque. Notice the flowers behind Simonov’s head; they're not hyper-realistic, but they pop with their own kind of abstracted beauty, like Sarian is more interested in capturing the essence of a flower rather than its exact details. This approach makes you think about how we perceive the world, and how art can offer us new ways of seeing. Sarian reminds me a little of Matisse, but with a more grounded, earthy sensibility. Both artists share a love for color and pattern, but Sarian brings a unique, almost dreamlike quality to his work.