Ketshin, Poland 1991

‘Ketshin, Poland’ was painted in 1991 by Petros Malayan, using what looks like gouache on paper. I love how Malayan reduces these buildings to their basic shapes, rectangles and triangles stacked together like a child’s blocks. It's like he's not just painting what he sees, but how he understands the structure of this place. The muted colors, mostly grays and browns, give the painting a somber mood, but there's also a warmth in the way he layers the paint, letting some of the underlayers peek through. Look at the way he suggests the texture of the rooftops with just a few strokes of the brush. It’s like he's saying, "I don't need to show you every single tile, you get the idea, right?" It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, with his quiet, contemplative still lifes. Both artists see the world in simple forms and muted tones. Ultimately, art is about simplification and suggestion, isn't it?