Still Life with Fruits 1982

Petros Malayan made this still life with fruit sometime in the 20th century, and looking at it, you can tell he wasn't trying to be fussy or precise. The colors are laid down like he was wrestling with them, smearing and pushing them around the surface. The watery paint gives it a loose, juicy feel. It’s all about the surface, the way the colors bump up against each other. I love how the brushstrokes around the fruit create these vibrant halos, like each piece is radiating its own light. Notice the grapes in the dish – they’re almost dissolving into a mosaic of blues, greens, and browns. It’s like Malayan is saying, "Here's how I see this stuff, take it or leave it." It reminds me a little of Cezanne, that same feeling of trying to capture the essence of something real without getting bogged down in the details. Art is about a feeling. It's always an ongoing conversation.