Lotus 1911

Martiros Sarian made this painting of a Lotus with confident brushstrokes and bold colours. You can feel the artist's hand in the direct application of paint. I imagine Sarian must have felt a sense of optimism and joy, working with such vibrant blues, greens and yellows. It makes me think of Matisse, and his way of flattening forms to their essential shapes. Sarian simplifies the lotus to a bulbous white form with hints of warm orange at its heart. The petals become geometric, like paper cut-outs. I love how the painter lays down each stroke with a kind of certainty. Look at how the dark blue is dragged across the picture plane, with the brush seemingly running out of steam. You sense he is not trying to achieve photorealism, but is searching for a deeper connection to the flower's essence. Painting is like that, a constant conversation between artists across time. Each one inspires the next to see and feel the world in new ways. Ultimately, painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations rather than one definitive reading.