At the Exhibit 1970

Petros Malayan’s watercolor, At the Exhibit, offers a glimpse into a cultural space—maybe somewhere in Armenia, where he spent much of his life. The washes of pale blues and earth tones create a dreamy, almost melancholic atmosphere. I can imagine Malayan, brush in hand, carefully layering the pigments, letting the figures emerge from the paper's surface. The swift strokes of his brush capture the essence of his figures, conveying a sense of weightiness. Look at how he suggests the cool marble of the sculptures by manipulating the watery medium. The eye is drawn to the woman in the striped dress, her gaze fixed on the artwork before her, perhaps contemplating the meaning of art itself. I wonder, was Malayan pondering the creative process? Probably! The beauty of painting lies in this ongoing dialogue—artists speaking to each other across time, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling.