Armenia in Art

The millennial Armenian culture has played a great role in the life of the Armenian people. Armenia has found its depiction in fields of art and science. This article is dedicated to Armenia in art. One of the manifestations of the Armenian culture is the fine arts. Along with miniature and fresco painting, many new branches of fine art developed, such as painting, portrait, images of scenes of everyday life and landscapes.

Armenia as a source of inspiration

At all times Armenia, its nature and especially Mount Ararat have been an inspiration for many artists. The artists, each in their own way, depicted Armenia on their canvases. For example, famous Armenian artist Ivan Aivazovsky was one of the first to depict the Armenian nature, Mount Ararat, and the Ararat valley in painting. His love for Armenia is expressed in his works “The valley of Mount Ararat”, “Ararat”, “Descent of Noah from Ararat” and other famous paintings.

The Majestic Ararat in Art

Ararat in all its glory appeared on the canvases of many other Armenian painters. For example, in works of famous Armenian artist and public figure Panos Terlemezian the mountain was depicted this way.

 

Terlemezian is one of the best landscape painters in the history of Armenian painting. His works stand out with their lyrical warmness and delicate shades.

Once during the exhibition dedicated to his 75th birthday Terlemazian said in his speech – “I came to mix the sweat from my forehead with the sweat of the villagers of Armenia, so that we revive our country, my Armenia”.

In 1914, he travels to Van, where he creates “Mount Sipan from Ktuts Island” and “Lake Van” landscapes.

Terlemezian’s works are in tune with the moods of his era. In its artistic form, they are accessible to the broad masses. That is why people loved and highly appreciated his art.

In the works of Armenian famous artist and the founder of the realistic landscapes Gevorg Bashinjaghyan, prevail the images of Mount Ararat and Lake Sevan. His canvases are filled with simplicity, clearness and love for his native picturesque nature. In his works, Bashinjaghyan portrayed the majesty of the Armenian mountains, the mysterious beauty of the blue sky and sunny fields. His paintings stand out for their magnificent play of light and shadow.

Bashinjagyan depicted all the details of his native nature with great love and carefulness. In his works, the landscape painting got a separate and special meaning.

In the works of prominent Armenian artist Yeghishe Tadevosyan, Ararat was depicted this way.

A characteristic feature of Tadevosyan’s works is that he manages to feel and express the right colors of every field and gorge, every stone and tree.

The image of Byurakan attracts with its spontaneity and freshness of the brush: trees, blue sky and mountains in a distance – at a first sight, it is just a simple picture, but you can feel the warmness in it.

Martiros Saryan has once said – “Tadevosyan created wonderful sketches, among which you can find real gems of art. He had a delicate sense of color. He was able to depict every single detail of his motherland with clearness and Armenian spirit”.

Nature of the Motherland

Martiros Saryan, the great master of color, was the first to “retell” nature of Armenia in his works. He gave a collective and complete image to it and tried to reveal the secret of its endless beauty. Thanks to his unique artistic language, he raised Armenian art to the international level.

Saryan was well informed about the history and fate of his nation, so he felt the suffering of its past more deeply. He became more attached to his people, studied and really got to know the nature of his motherland. With his vivid imagination, he perceived the real colors of the nature that he loved so much all his life.

Throughout his life, Saryan painted flowers and fruits of his native land. His canvases are the evidences of the dialogue between the nature and the artist. Each painting is warm and heart touching.

“Whatever I Paint, Turns out to be Armenia”

“I would like the people who haven’t seen Armenia fall in love with it through my paintings. I have many landscapes. Sunny mountain ranges, blossoming valleys. My lovely Ararat, which I have depicted very often, the houses buried under the green, and of course, everywhere there are people – people who change the world”.

When you see the sun depicted by Saryan, you want it to always shine above your head, no matter how burning it is. While looking at his strict but flexible mountains, you want to admire them and endlessly wander through the mountains and valleys. You want to touch everything that is depicted in the works of Saryan, which inspire an endless thirst for life.

His paintings radiated sunny colors, embodying the image of his native land, reflecting the idea of ​​the eternity of nature and life. The collective image of Armenia, created thanks to the magical harmony of air, light and color, is close to our soul. On the other hand, thanks to Saryan’s paintings, foreigners learned about the unique beauty of our country.

Armenia in Minas Avetisyan’s Art

Armenia has a unique depiction in Minas Avetisyan’s works, who was another prominent artist of Armenia. Minas created scenes from the life of Armenian villages, landscapes, portraits and still lifes. His works are distinguished by bright contrasts of colors that express a light and lyrical mood. Landscapes of his native Jajur occupy a special place in Minas’s work.

Carzou said – “Minas is a unique and talented artist. There is something powerful in his colors, an incredible strength that is so modern and so Armenian. I can feel Armenia deeply through his works”.

William Saroyan said – “There are very few painters like Minas Avetisyan in the world, believe me if I say that there are none at all. He is so powerful, so Armenian, old but at the same time completely new. Amazing…”

These artists make us love and appreciate our motherland as it is. They depicted their motherland as a living creature, with all its colors, beauty and charm.

Article by Ani Rakobyan

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