Some of my favorite paintings are renderings that depict the artists' studio. It gives the audience a chance to see how the artist lived and what type of environment did they create their masterpieces in. It is a unique opportunity to whether our own self perceptions match that of reality. It also creates an reference point to catalog relevant to history. It gives the art historians a first hand look at with type of materials were used in a certain day and age. But what I find the to be the most delightful feature, is how the audience is given the rare chance to peer into the artists' world itself.

Many art studio paintings often have unfinished pieces in the background that the artist might have been working on. Just take a look at the painting I have featured. You can view for yourself the unfinished works that Russian trained artist, Armenian born Minas Avetisian (1928-1975) had been working on. Even though there are no details given about this piece, we are still given that rare and unique opportunity to study the artist. Minas Avetisian is an artist with particular cruel twist and turns surrounding him during his lifetime. His mother and father barely escaped an Armenian massacre that took place in 1915. His folks were only a couple miles away from where a thousand or more Armenians were rounded up and shot and left to rot in a ravine. In 1972 his studio was set on fire and quickly burnt to the ground. What we know of his art pieces before that time could only be found in his Grafika. After the fire destroyed virtually everything, Minas sounded himself in darkness and mourned over his lost. What is left of his art work are just a few masterpieces that he painted in 1973 until his death 1975. Minas was killed in a horrific car crash, February 24, 1975. This intimate look is all that's left of his tangible world.

From this single painting, much can be discovered about this relatively unknown artist. Just think about this for a second- without this studio painting we would not have been able to see how haphazzard he was with his canvases. We would not know how he must of like painting his functional work space, with the leftover paint from a project. The table and chair are a dead giveaway. His painter's table is covered with leftover crimson, burnt sienna and bright orange paint. The chair, well if I didn't know better I'd say he was a patriot by the way he covered it up with remaining reds, whites and blues. But without this painting none us would be available to speculate what he was like and what his individual ticks were. I hope you enjoyed this journey into Minas' world.