HAGOP HAGOPIAN

Hagopian is the artist-poet of sorrow and wisdom of Armenia. He was born in Egypt in 1923 yet other art historians tend to believe that he was born in 1928, fourteen years after the Armenian Genocide. Even though, he never physically witnessed the horrors of the massacre of the Armenian people, the pain and suffering of victims and beloved ones left deep scars on his art and his visions of the world. The effects of the Genocide will dramatically influence his art in the years to come. He studied at the Melkonian Armenian school in Cyprus and later on, attended  the  Grande Chaumiere Academy of Arts in Paris, France. In 1963, at the age of forty, he emigrated to the homeland of his parents for the first time. It was a new world for him at a psychological level. Although, Armenian by origin and culture, Melkonian at the beginning, did not totally fit in his new world.  But he grew to love his new “old” country. A country older than the dawn of civilization. At that time in history, Armenia was not a free country. It was under the Russian domination. An impoverished country despite its enormous but unexploited natural resources.

Photos from L to R: #1. Still Life with a Mannequin, 1961. #2. Quietude, 1970. #3. Chagrin, 1961.

He was sadly taken by the landscape of Armenia and the emotional comportment of its inhabitants. Thus, when he painted a landscape, a bunch of trees, people faces, rivers, even daily domestic objects,  the emotions of distress, loneliness and sadness covered the whole terrain of his canvases. The trees were pale, the human faces were pales and the sky was pale. Everything seemed fragile, feeble and “pale”. A disastrous emotional state of mind but, honest and emotionally charged  with inquietude, fear, hope, determination and confusion. Hagopian constantly wondered in his art.  His style was pensive, meditative and vagabond, yet, it had all the elements of a deep artistic expression and the characteristics of a very singular style.

EDGAR CHAHINE (1874-1947)

Photos from L to R: #1 Edgar Chahine. #2. Promenade in the Park, Paris.

Edgar Chahine has been called « The Most Parisian of all the Armenian Artists ». He was highly admired in Paris and recognized as the most well-known Armenian artist in France. He was born in Vienna, Austria and studied art in Venice in Italy where he received personalized training on the hands of A. Paoletti at the Armenian art school of Murad Rafaelian. Two years later, he continued his studies at the prestigious Academie Julian in Paris, France. In 1900, he exhibited his art for the first time and was highly acclaimed by French art critics. His French exhibition was followed by series of international exhibitions in major European capitals. He received numerous awards and gold medals at almost all the exhibitions he took part in.

Photo: Promenade in Bois de Boulogne, by Edgar Chahine.

The noted art critic C. Mauclair wrote: “ Edgar Chahine showed us what others could not see”. In 1928, Edgar Chahine became extremely popular in France. By the end of that year, a museum in Crouttes-Vimoutiers in the Orn region, France was named after him “Musee Chahine”. France’s great Anatole France and the celebrated author Octave Mirabeau commissioned him to illustrate their books. In 1911,  Daniel Varoujan wrote:” It was a privilege to be able to print an illustration “Un Dessin” by Chahine. Among his most famous works, we recognize  "La Mendiante" (The Woman Beggar), "Les Vendeuses aux paniers" (The Sellers With Basquets),  "Le Malade" (The Sick),  "Les Chômeurs" (The Unemployed) and "La Grande Mère" (The Grand Mother).

HAROUTIUN GALENTZ (1908-1967) , photo above.

Photo: View of a mountain, 1960 by Haroutiun Galentz.

Galentz  is  a survivor of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. French art historians called him “L’homme sans enfance”, meaning “The man who had no childhood”. In fact, Galentz grew up in an orphanage in Beyrouth, Lebanon. Inside and outside the orphanage, he encountered hard times and faced life with bitterness and despair. Hardships, sorrow and emotional insecurity of his childhood  left  deep and  profound impressions on his spirit, psyche and art. Yet, his passion for life did not diminish a bit. On the contrary, Galentz nourished and motivated his appetite for life with constant quest for a better social living condition, determination and an accentuated flair of nonchalance. He did show it in his vibrant and explosively radiant colors. His visions of the world turned him into an eulogist of the picturesque beauty of life, and consequently, added more vitality to his vibrant and flamboyant palette. In 1946, he emigrated to his beloved Armenia. He spent the rest of his life searching for the authentic truth in art. He blended in the nature of Armenia and depicted it with passion and humanistic elegance on his canvases.

Arshile Gorky

The war in the forties created a new wave of patriotic artists concerned with the struggles of the day and war events. Nourished by slogans, news from the front, waging bloody battles, fear and deep national patriotic sentiment, a great number of artists emerged from all walks of life and social classes. The necessity and national pride created a new genre of artists such as  Gorky, Zardaryan, Yesayan, Issabekyan, Aslamazyan, Arakelyan, Abeghyan, Melikyan, Yakulov, Kochar and the great Kevork Grigorrian. Between 1949 and the early sixties, another wave of highly expressive Armenian artists hit the shore of creativity and anchored Armenian names on the pier of excellence and immortality! Names like Galentz, Gharibian, Konturajian,  Minas Avetisian, Hakob Hakobyan, Grigor Khandjyan, Roudolf Khachatrian, Gevorg Bashinjagyan and Pedros Malayan. The newest Armenian artistic mastery on the international scene reached its highest level with international famous Armenian artists such as  Arshile Gorky (American-Armenian, 1904-1948) knows also as Vostanik-Manuk Adoyan,  one of the most famous contemporary artists, the founder of Abstract Surrealism. Gorky was described by the French poet and writer Andre Breton as the most important painter in American history.

Photo: Mount Ararat by Khandjian.

The historical concept of his native people was forming gradually in the artist's mind, gaining maturity and completeness with the passage of years. His interpretation of historical themes becomes clear in his illustrations for Abovian's novel Armenia's Wounds, in his presentation of the tragic events described in the book, of the masses involved in those events and in his accentuation of the hero's figure leading his people. The Epic-of-Heroism theme is treated here along with the Self-Sacrifice motif. In the black-and-white pages, the deeds and nature of Agasi, the principal hero of the novel, are presented with romantic élan and inscription. In the book design field Khandjian distinguished himself next with his illustrations of Sevak's poem The Ever-Tolling Bell Tower. The illustrations brought to light another aspect of Armenia's history. The central figure of the poem is the composer Komitas, its main theme is the story of his life and death. Komitas shared with his people the tragedy of the 1915 massacre of the Armenian population in Turkey. The illustrations were inspired by and dealt with the facts of the composer's fate. As designed by Khandjian, the poem became an indispensable book in each household in Armenia. The artist treated the subject on a par with the author helping to retain in the reader's memory the vivid image of the hero and his own view on the tragedy.

RAZMIG HAKIGIAN

Photo: Untitled painting by Hakigian.

Internationally acclaimed artist, Razmik is a man who paints from the soul and the depth of his inner world. This artist's soul is filled with pain, sufferings, oppression, and even anger.  But, this anger produced melancholic masterpieces. nourished with  turmoil, love, forgiveness, and  spiritual energy.   His paintings are characterized by subconscious feelings and liberty in colors and forms.  Love and pain, passion or joy fairly leap off the canvas. "The physical world is our creation; We each create our own version of the world, our particular reality, our unique life experience.  Art is the mirror of that world. " The artist wrote: "Everything in our life is our reflection, our creation, there are no accidents or events that are unrelated to us.  If it didn't mirror some part of ourselves, we wouldn't even be able to see it.  Anything you love, enjoy, or a particular spot in nature that is very beautiful to you, it is a mirror of your own beauty.  It's a reflection of yourself.  There are mirrors everywhere."  Observing his art under his innovative philosophical approach, one cannot help but feel a certain curiosity as to whether we are dealing here with simply a distinctive style, or with an unusual cultural phenomena. His creations are original and very imaginative.  It is spiced with eccentricity; It's abstract and intellectually demanding. "It might be prudent for one to call to mind Razmik's more famous countryman Arshile Gorky, whose bio-morphic abstractions strongly resemble Razmil's own.  Gorky always maintained that all of his paintings were inspired by his childhood in Armenia.  Perhaps in some ways Gorky never left Armenia, or maybe this is an Armenia of the Soul which apparently Razmik was able to transcend." Bio synopsis:  1954 Born in Armenia. Family roots back to Syria, Kessab.1976 Graduate of "Ecole des Beaux Arts Terlemezian."

1983 Graduate of "Yerevan Institute of Drama and fine arts."1985 Member of the Union of painters of Armenia.1985 First personal exhibition in Yerevan.1985 Till today five personal exhibitions and many collective ones in Armenia, Switzerland, Russia, U.S.A., Austria, Germany, United Arab Emirates. He has works in many personal collections all over the world.

Photo: Composition by Hakigian.

SEIRAN KHATMALAJIAN

Born in 1937 in Rostov na Don, Russia.  In 1959, he graduated from Terlemezian Fine Art School.  In 1964, he graduated from Yerevan Fine Arts and Drama College.  Since 1965, he participated in many national and international exhibitions. In 1972, he had his first one-man exhibition in Yerevan.  His works are displayed in museums in Armenia and Russia.

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