In 1895 Saryan finished Armenian-Russian school in Novaya Nakhichevan. Already during his school years Saryan's progress in drawing was appreciated by special certificate. After finishing school Saryan worked in a post-office. In his spare time he copied illustrations from journals and sketched some of clients. Willing to encourage Martiros's passion for drawing his elder brother introduced him to his friend, artist A. Artsatbanyan, a student of the Moscow College of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Appreciating the inborn talent of the youth, Artsatbanyan trained Martiros for the entrance exams to the Moscow College. In 1897 Saryan became a college student.

The feeling of independence and freedom of creation in the Moscow School of Arts, Sculpture and Architecture, the unceasing search for new shapes, the breaking of the old and expired traditions of fine arts, the struggle against academism, the bold experiments of young artists who so keenly felt the pace of time, the first exhibitions of the latest achievements of European, especially French, painting - the subtle and susceptible spirit of the young artist absorbed all the above mentioned. His talent enriched, his vision sharpened, his technique improved. Training in the studios of the famous Russian impressionist K.Korovin and outstanding painter V.Serov facilitated the development of his professional skills.

But during his early period, Saryan's portraits and landscapes do not yet reveal the artist's individual style. One can easily notice the canons of classical painting: gray color spectrum, transforming from light to shade. However, these pieces of work are already the proof of the young artist's mastery.