The Dogs of Constantinople

With the aim to learn more about the nature of the East and the lifestyle of people living there, Sarian went to Turkey, Constantinople (On February 26, 1910) where he stayed for two months and created his first masterpieces of the Eastern cycle.
‘The Dogs of Constantinople’ is the only pictorial work of this period finds its place in the collection of the M.Sarian house-museum. In his memoirs the artist wrote: ‘There was a rich material for the exploration of animals in Constantinople. The dogs lived here with family packs, each group in their certain area… Near them the Turkish men in loose pants and red fezes were walking and the women clad in chadors, tapping with their clogs also were passing by and children were running about.
Nobody was getting closer to the dogs’. In the picture’s foreground a picturesque group of fighting dogs is depicted. They are in a unique contrast with a merchant sitting at the show window, inhaling hookah lazily. The viewer’s look passes across the street to the woman wrapped in chador, walking up the street and to the donkey loaded with hay.
This episode and the occasional moment randomly taken from the everyday life of Constantinople provide the complete picture of the unique spirit of this city.