ARTIST MARY MOON: YEREVAN’S URBAN UPHEAVAL PORTRAYED ON CANVAS

2010/0 2/22 | 16:02

Her paintings are void of people; The city has swallowed its residents

"Everyone knows, especially politicians and government officials, that
artists are capable of changing everything. That’s what is dangerous.

That’s why they often exert pressure on artists. It’s happened
before and continues today," says Mary Moon, the artist formerly
known as Arakelyan.

"And it won’t change, because artists have always thought about what
takes place around them more than others," she continues.

Even though May firmly believes that artists can have an impact on
the political decision-making process, she herself identifies with
no political movement.

The artist believes that there are those who merely mouth words that
they like and dislike. Artists do the same with the work they create.

The medium employed by artists to speak is a grace they are born with –
music, fine arts, or others. In Mary’s case the medium is painting.

Politics drives how Yerevan looks

Mary paints our city, its hidden and oft frequented spots, buildings
old and new, streets and alleys. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to
spot an actual city location in her work. Mary says that when she
puts brush to canvas, her main aim isn’t to create a city map but to
let concepts flow freely; to come up with an impression of the city.

A cursory glance at her paintings leaves one with the impression
that the artists focuses mainly on scenes of urban construction. But
scratch the surface and you’ll again find politics at the core. In the
end, its politics that drives the manner in which a city is built and
appears. Nevertheless, the artist says that her work isn’t political
in the narrow sense of the word. It’s urban painting, a result of
treks and meanderings through an urban landscape.

"I would go to paint sketches and the vision immediately came to me. I
saw the city from on high at the Cascade promontory – one sketch,
then two, three. It became a complete series. I started to paint
other cities. I sort of froze the city in my mind and documented
its essence, internally. I did away with the external trappings and
natural appearance. This is what I use as my base," Mary says.

It would appear that Mary has hit upon the best way to express
herself. Colors are muted and she unusually uses pastels. As to
technique, she prefers printing since its most effective at presenting
an urban panorama, while also leaving the effect of photography.

The artist focuses on city’s constant change

Themes for Mary’s paintings are particularly found in the constant
changes taking place in the city. "At first, I wasn’t sure if all the
construction going on was affecting me in some way. Like everything
else, you only understand what is affecting you later on. That’s what
happened with me and the surrounding construction."

Painting requires refinement of thought

Mary says that the first step in the painting process is to wait for
an idea or concept to come. It must then be refined and transformed
into a story. Only then can you retell it on the canvas.

"First off, they are emotions that gradually crystallize into an idea.

How does that idea come forth? It is beaten and kneaded until something
else is born. And what comes out can’t be bad after all that perfecting
and polishing. The end result is something that has been cleansed,
refined and more accessible. It’s that pure thought that must be
conveyed to the viewer, stripped of excess baggage" Mary explains.

When Mary first started to paint sketches of the city, her friends
said that they couldn’t recognize Yerevan in the sketches. "No one
recognized the city from above. People couldn’t even identify the
city where they live. It was because they gazed over the town from
high above. Also, the city has changed quite a bit."

When I asked Mary what she thought about the new buildings going up
and new neighborhoods being carved out, she said that the town was
in a constant state of flux. "Every day you go to school, to work, or
for an evening stroll, and you eye slowly gets used to it all. After a
while, you no longer notice the changes. People see all the demolition
but no one knows what will be built in its place. I just paint what
was there and what is new. My paintings cry out – ‘Look here, do you
like what you see’? I mean, just take a look at Northern Boulevard
or some other new high-rise block. It’s all concrete and stone –
no green space and no people. This is what I show."

In the cityscapes Mary paints there are no inhabitants. The town is
deserted. She says it’s a reflection of the way she feels. "Humans
have been subsumed, taken over, by what they have created. So much
so, in fact, that man no longer exists in the world created around
him. We no longer exist."

P.S. – Why the name Mary Moon? The artist points out that she no longer
uses traditional last names and "Moon" sounded like a nice moniker.