Angola's, Mexico's, Mozabmique's, Etiopia's masks 1979

Mariam Aslamazian made this painting of masks using oils, sometime in the mid to late 20th century. I love how she’s arranged these objects; they remind me of actors on a stage. I wonder what she was thinking when she made this painting. Perhaps she was contemplating different cultures and forms of representation? I can imagine her carefully mixing the colors to capture the sheen of the masks and the luminescence of the shell. The dark outlines around the objects give them a graphic quality, which I adore. I am struck by Aslamazian’s attention to the surface of things. It makes me think about the ways in which we perceive and interpret the world around us. Isn't it interesting how she can suggest volume and depth with just a few strokes of paint? Painting allows for ambiguity, so we are free to interpret the image in our own way. And that, my friends, is the beauty of art.