Mother of the artist 1904

Martiros Sarian painted his mother in 1904, using fluid washes of earthy browns and grays. I imagine Sarian in front of his mother, brush in hand, thinking about capturing not just her likeness but her essence. It's a tricky thing to do. Look how he lets the paint drip and flow, creating soft, blurred edges. The dark strokes around her head almost feel like a halo, drawing our eyes to her face. Her expression is gentle, maybe a little melancholic, and Sarian captures that complexity with just a few strokes of his brush. You know, painting your mother must be so emotionally loaded! I wonder if he labored over every detail, or if he worked quickly, trying to capture a fleeting moment. Either way, you feel the love and the weight of that relationship in this painting. It reminds us that every artist is in conversation with those who came before, and those they love the most.