Untitled (Hawaiian Mountain Scene) - Arman Manookian

A 1928 modernist composition by Arman Manookian, featuring stylised Hawaiian mountains and trees rendered in bold, flat planes of colour.

Arman Manookian, an artist of Armenian descent who settled in Hawaii, produced this work in 1928. His approach to the Hawaiian environment departs from the romanticised depictions common during the early twentieth century. Instead, he employs a structured, modernist vocabulary to interpret the islands. The composition relies on bold, simplified forms and a deliberate, non-naturalistic colour palette.

In this piece, the mountains are rendered as rhythmic, undulating shapes that echo the contours of the terrain. The foreground features tall, stylised trees that act as vertical anchors, contrasting with the sweeping curves of the hills behind them. Manookian uses flat planes of colour, often separated by distinct outlines, to create a sense of order and decorative balance. The palette is dominated by deep blues, teals, and muted greens, which suggest the cool shadows of the mountainside rather than the tropical heat.

Manookian’s training in commercial art and his experience as an illustrator are evident in the clarity of his lines and the graphic quality of the composition. He avoids unnecessary detail, focusing instead on the essential geometry of the scene. This method allows the viewer to perceive the physical structure of the environment through a lens of abstraction. The work reflects the broader shift in American art during the 1920s, where artists sought to synthesise regional subjects with contemporary stylistic innovations. By reducing the natural world to its fundamental components, Manookian creates a visual experience that is both grounded in a specific location and detached from literal representation.