Russian still-life in the orange background 1976

This is Mariam Aslamazian's "Russian Still-life in the Orange Background", painted sometime in the Soviet era, with oil on canvas. The materials are humble, everyday things. Woven shoes and baskets, wooden spoons, a painted tin. These are all objects made by hand, requiring skill and labor. Aslamazian has carefully observed their textures: the rough weave of the bast fiber, the smooth sheen of the painted wood. The painting draws attention to the making of these objects, and by extension, the lives of the people who made and used them. During the Soviet era, there was official emphasis on the value of manual work and the dignity of ordinary people. Aslamazian seems to be participating in that project, elevating craft to the level of fine art. The painting makes us think about the relationship between art and craft, and between the elite world of the museum and the everyday world of labor and production. It's a reminder that all art is made by someone, with materials and tools, and that the process of making is just as important as the final product.