Ashtarak 1933

Martiros Sarian made this graphite drawing titled ‘Ashtarak’, sketching the architecture of a street in Armenia. I’m thinking about how, for Sarian, the act of drawing might have been an act of finding his way through a place, trying to understand it through the simple act of looking. The line work feels almost tentative, with these soft, smudged marks that conjure form. The arches are particularly evocative. I mean, look at how the doorways seem to sag slightly, as if worn down by time and human touch. I can imagine Sarian standing there, graphite in hand, letting the essence of Ashtarak flow through him and onto the page. Artists are always talking to each other, even across time, you know? Drawing is such an immediate, raw, and visceral way to record space. It embodies the ambiguity of life and allows for all sorts of readings.