Garegin Kotanjian

THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF

IMPRESSIONISM

AND ARMENIAN PICTORIAL ART

(second half of XIX – first half of XX cc.)

Yerevan, 2014

¶³ñ»·ÇÝ øáóÝçÛ³Ý

ÆØäðºêÆàÜƼØÆ ¶ºÔ²ðìºêî²Î²Ü

IJè²Ü¶àôÂÚàôÜÀ ºì

Ð²Ú ¶ºÔ²ÜβðâàôÂÚàôÜÀ

(XIX ¹. »ñÏñáñ¹ Ï»ë – XX ¹. ³é³çÇÝ Ï»ë)

ºñ¨³Ý, 2014

Գիրքը նվիրում եմ հորս` ՆԻԿՈԼԱՅ ՔՈԹԱՆՋՅԱՆԻ

հիշատակին(1928-2013)

The book is dedicated to the memory of my dear father, NICOLAY KOTANJIAN

artist and art critic

Ðî¸ 75(479.25)(091)

¶Ø¸ 85.143(2Հ)

ø 750

Ðð²î²ð²Îì²Ì ¾ äºî²Î²Ü ä²îìºðàì

STATE ORDER PUBLICATION

ä³ï. ËÙµ³·Çñ` ³ñí»ëï³·ÇïáõÃÛ³Ý ¹áÏïáñ Æ. ¸ð²Ø´Ú²Ü

øáóÝçÛ³Ý ¶³ñ»·ÇÝ

Ք 750 ÆÙåñ»ëÇáÝǽÙÇ ·»Õ³ñí»ëï³Ï³Ý ųé³Ý·áõÃÛáõÝÁ ¨ Ñ³Û ·»Õ³ÝϳñãáõÃÛáõÝÁ:

19-ñ¹ ¹³ñÇ »ñÏñáñ¹ Ï»ë – 20-ñ¹ ¹³ñÇ ³é³çÇÝ Ï»ë / ¶. øáóÝçÛ³Ý.- ºñ.:

²Ùñáó ·ñáõå, 2014.- 160 ¿ç, ÝÏ.:

Ðî¸ 75(479.25)(091)

¶Ø¸ 85.143(2Հ)

ISBN 978-99941-31-79-2

¡ ¶. øáóÝçÛ³Ý, 2014

¡ ²Ùñáó ·ñáõå, 2014

¶ñùáõÙ Ñ³Û ·»Õ³ÝϳñãáõÃÛáõÝÁ Ý»ñϳ۳óí³Í ¿ »íñáå³Ï³Ý ³ñí»ëïÇ ³é³í»É

ɳÛÝ Ñ³Ù³å³ïÏ»ñáõÙ, »ÉÝ»Éáí ³ñ¨ÙïÛ³Ý Ï»ñå³ñí»ëïÇ Ëáßáñ³·áõÛÝ ·»Õ³ñí»ëï³Ï³Ý

»ñ¨áõÛÃÝ»ñÇó Ù»ÏÇ` ÇÙåñ»ëÇáÝǽÙÇ ëϽµáõÝù³ÛÇÝ Ñ³ñó»ñÇ ¹Çï³Ï»ïÇó: ÐáíѳÝÝ»ë

²Ûí³½áíëÏáõ, ºÕÇß» ³¹¨áëÛ³ÝÇ, 껹ñ³Ï ²é³ù»ÉÛ³ÝÇ, ì³Ññ³Ù ¶³Ûý»×Û³ÝÇ, سñ ïÇñáë

ê³ñÛ³ÝÇ, ÐáíѳÝÝ»ë î»ñ-³¹¨áëÛ³ÝÇ ¨ ¶³µñÇ»É ¶ÛáõñçÛ³ÝÇ ëï»Õͳ·áñ ÍáõÃÛáõÝÝ»ñÇ

ûñÇݳÏáí, í»ñÉáõÍíáõÙ ¨ ½áõ·³Ñ»éÝ»ñ ¿ ï³ñíáõÙ Ýñ³Ýó ³ß˳ï³ÝùÝ»ñÇ ¨ ÇÙåñ»ëÇáÝǽÙÇ

í³ñå»ïÝ»ñÇ ëï»Õͳ·áñÍáõÃÛáõÝÝ»ñÇ ÙÇç¨:

¶ÇñùÁ ѳëó»³·ñí³Í ¿ Ù³ëݳ·»ïÝ»ñÇÝ, ÇÝãå»ë ¨ ³ñí»ëï³ë»ñÝ»ñÇ É³ÛÝ ßñç³ -

ÝÇÝ:

105

GAREGIN KOTANJIAN

THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF IMPRESSIONISM AND ARMENIAN PICTORIAL ART

(second half of XIX – first half of XX centuries)

SuMMARY

The book is dedicated to a paramount problem of the Newest Time of Armenian visual arts, that is, to the role of Impressionism in its formation and development. After several centuries of stagnation, Armenian Fine Arts joined a new phase of its history, which laid the foundation for its revival in the second half of XIX century. At the end of the same century a galaxy of outstanding masters who were educated in Europe and Russia and had successfully assimilated the pictorial and graphical system of the modern Western Art came forward. The formation of creative art of this generation of Armenian masters coincided with the time when French Impressionism was spreading in European countries. The main achievements of Impressionism due to which European pictorial tradition was renewed, as it is well-known, were the enlightenment and activation of the color palette, spontaneity of the artistic accomplishment, freedom of compositional mastering, boldness of artistic ideas realization and the most significant - the turn to plein-air, in other words, out of door painting with all ensuing consequences.

The ardent engagements with the above-mentioned issues were common for artistic endeavor

of Armenian painters as well, the very reason why Impressionism did not become an accidental

and transient phenomenon in Armenian art. The creative use of its achievements favored consid-

erably for the shaping and development of Armenian painting school of XX century.

The research is arranged due to analyzes of a range of prominent Armenian masters' creative

work of the considered period, whose art revealed the trend of Impressionism rather vividly. In this relation a special place occupies our compatriot, great marine painter Hovhannes Ay-

vazovsky (1817-1900), both among the group of the artists we have chosen and in the history of the world art (suffice to say that one of the greatest British painters, Josef Turner was so impressed with the pictures by young Ayvazovsky, that he composed a verse, praising his genius). Though he never used to work out of doors (as it was used to by the Impressionists as the key of their method), his canvases are distinguished by exceptional liveliness and truthfulness. Overcoming the sluggishness and restriction of the academician Russian painting he created his own improvi-sational method of execution based on the use of his phenomenal visual memory and imagination in conveyance of elements of nature, those as water and air - the true "heroes" of his creations. His key was the "atmospheric painting" (the term used by the artist himself), in other words the plein-air painting, which anticipated and synchronized with that of the French Impressionists.

Eghishe Tadevosyan (1870-1936) was one of the first among Armenian masters who creatively

106

assimilated the pictorial achievements of Impressionism. His outstanding artistic individuality, in-

trinsic national world outlook, subtle sense for the nature, endowed him with an ability to work

out the principles of the classical Impressionism and to create inimitable "tadevosyanian" pictorial

style. His rich artistic heritage became a kind of an "interpreter" of the brilliant achievements of

the French pictorial art of the second half of XIX century for the Armenian artists of further gen-

erations, as well defined the unique character of pictorial art school of Armenia in XX century.Sedrak Arakelyan's (1884-1942) subtle sense for nature, affection towards plain images is

common with that of the masters of Impressionism. In his landscape paintings the exactness and truthfulness of representation harmonizes with the poetical interpretation of nature. At the same time Arakelyan with his freedom of rendering and boldness of generalizations of graphic forms, always preserves the definiteness and clarity of artistic images unlike French Impressionists. Some of their technical mediums (for example, the spot technique), were not characteristic of him as well.

Another outstanding Armenian painter - Vahram Gayfejian's (1879-1960) mastering of the

French Impressionism's inventions was much versatile, independent and complex. During the

years of his early creative activity he was enchanted with issues concerning the means of color

expression, which were manifested in two similar series of abstract graphic pages. In the subse-

quent years (the period from 1910 to 1930), his interests towards Impressionism took even a vivid

appearance. Later on, in his works of the next two decades, he worked out an individual manner

of treatment in which the principles of Impressionism were not distinguished apparently, but were

absorbed in the original way of the visual perception of the master.

For Martiros Saryan (1880-1972), one of the most well-known Armenian artists, the com-

munication with Impressionism passed in rather complicated and mediated way. His first insight

into Impressionism took part during the years of his apprenticeship. But the ample of possibilities

provided by the trend were revealed and applied much later, after almost three decades, during

the Parisian period of his artistic endeavor and henceforth. And here one has to consider that

Saryan's attitude towards Impressionism was not unequivocal. Based on Impressionism and with

the support of the latter's and some other further artistic movements' achievements he went back

over to reconsider and renew the means of expressions of his brilliant art, and worked out a new,

original pictorial-graphic language marked with poetical subtleness, frankness and intimity.

The next painter whose art is included in our study - Hovhannes Ter-Tadevosyan (1889-1974)

- is not ranked among the well-known Armenian masters. Ter-Tadevosyan favored during his study,

being first a student to E. Tadevosyan, later on in Moscow having two prominent teachers - famous

Russian artists K. Korovin and A. Arkhipov. Owing to them he got his lessons of Impressionist

painting, which he used during all over his creative activity. But his works are not fully represented

in Armenia. Alas, a substantial part of the artist's creative legacy hasn’t been available for us by

now, as he spent the second and the longest period of his lifetime out of Armenia and marked an

107

important contribution in the rise and formation of chisel painting in Middle Asia. Though the

high artistic value of his best canvases, the brilliant luminosity of his palette, Chiaroscuro of colors,

as well as, the ardent feeling towards the outdoor motives and masterly handling makes his art

congenial with that of the Impressionists.

The art of Gabriel Gyurjyan (1892-1986), though it has not an immediate connection with

Impressionism, nevertheless is included in the present research by certain considerations. Though

he was an ardent realist painter, he could enrich essentially the pictorial language of his plein-air-

ism with discoveries of the French masters in this field, but in a moderate, cautious and restrained

way. Shaping his pictorial art in the mentioned way he replenished the "sanctuary" of our fine arts

with works which bear high artistic value.

However, the involvement of the artist into the chosen group of painters in connection with

our topic is stipulated not merely with this fact. A much more important event occurred in his cul-

tural-social activities. By his own initiative there was founded an itinerant studio in Armenia with

no analogs in the world practice. It had a great significance for the history of our art in the middle

and the second half of the last century. The Itinerant gave an opportunity to Armenian artists to

work out of doors, the very key of Impressionistic method. It gave a chance for creative association

between the artists of different generations, including experienced masters and big gingers as well,

providing an important artistic inheritance in Armenian pictorial arts.

Armenian painting of the New Times using the legacy of Western pictorial tradition, in partic-

ular, the artistic achievements of Impressionism, took part in European cultural movement at the

threshold of XX century.

ÐáíѳÝÝ»ë ²Ûí³½áíëÏÇ

ÆÝÝ»ñáñ¹ ³ÉÇù (1850)

Ü» ³ åá ÉÇ Íá í³ Íá óÁ Ù³ é³Ë ɳ å³ï ³é³ íá ïÛ³Ý (1874)

´áë÷áñÇ Ý»ÕáõóÁ (ѳïí³Í) (1888) ¾. ØáÝ», ì³Ã»ñÉáÛÇ Ï³ÙáõñçÁ (ѳïí³Í) (1903)

Ìáí. ÎáÏ ï» μ»É (1853)

¾. ØáÝ», îå³íáñáõÃÛáõÝ. ²ñ¨³Í³· (1872)

Ìá í³÷ (1840)

²ÉÇù Ý» ñÇ Ù»ç (1898)

Üá ÛÁ Çç ÝáõÙ ¿ ²ñ³ ñ³ ïÇó (1889)

ê¨ Íáí (1881)

ú¹»ë³Ý` ÍáíÇó (1865)

ºÕÇß» ³¹¨áëÛ³Ý

Èá ÕÁ ²É ·»ï ϳ ·» ïáõÙ (1930)ܳ í³Ï Ý»ñ. îñ³ åÇ ½áÝ (1906)¾·ÉÇ ³ÙñáóÁ (1906)

äáõÉ ¹Ûáõ . ´ñ»ï³Ý (1902)

Ð³Ý ×³ ñÁ ¨ ³Ù μá ËÁ (1909)

Îá ÙÇ ï³ ë (1936)

²Ùμ»ñ¹ (1903)

ÜϳñãÇ ÏÝáç ¹ÇÙ³ÝϳñÁ. ¾ïÛáõ¹ (1910)

3

øñÇë ïá ëÁ ¨ ö³ ñÇ ë» óÇ Ý» ñÁ (1919)

껹ñ³Ï ²é³ù»ÉÛ³Ý

òá ñ»Ý »Ý ãá ñ³ó ÝáõÙ (1920)

¶Ûáõ ÕáõÙ (1917)

àõË ï³ íáñ Ý» ñÁ ê¨ ³ ÝáõÙ (1914)

æñ³ Õ³ óÇ Ùáï (1924) Æç¨ ³Ý ºñ¨ ³ ÝáõÙ (1921)

àë Ï» ³ßáõÝ. ºñ¨ ³Ý (1923-24)

¼³Ý ·áõ ·» ïÇ ³÷Á. ºñ» Ïá (1923-24) ¶³ ñáõÝ. ²Û ·ÇÝ ·³ñ ݳ ÝÁ (1923)

ì³Ññ³Ù ¶³Ûý»×Û³Ý

̳ éÇ ëïí» ñÇ ï³Ï (1930)

ȳñ³Ë³Õ³óÝ»ñ ¥1930)

¸» åá (1923)

¶» ïÇ çáõñ (1939) Î. ØáÝ», æñ³ßáõß³ÝÝ»ñ (1908)

Î. ØáÝ», ê»Ý-ȳ½³ñ ϳ۳ñ³ÝÁ (1877)

´»ñ ï³ Î³ ÙÛá õÇ ¹Ç Ù³Ý Ï³ ñÁ ¥1913)

Üϳñ ãÇ Ñ³Û ñÁ (1916)

¾. سݻ, ºÕñ¨³ÝÇÝ Í³ÕϳٳÝÇ Ù»ç (1882)

ºÕ ñ¨ ³ ÝÇÝ (áã áõß ù³Ý 1913)

ì³Õ ÓÙ»é (1947)

¶³ñ ݳ ݳ ÛÇÝ Ùá ïÇí (1927) ¶³ñ ݳ ݳ ÛÇÝ ¿ïÛáõ¹ (1927)

öáù ñÇÏ μ³Ï ºñ¨ ³ ÝáõÙ. ²ßáõÝ (Ùáï` 1940)

²ß ݳ ݳ ÛÇÝ ¿ïÛáõ ¹ (1936)

س ÛÇ ëÛ³Ý ³é³ íáï. ²Ë³Éó ˳ (1922)

ÐÇÝ ºñ¨ ³Ý (1951)

سñïÇñáë ê³ñÛ³Ý

ܳ ïÛáõñ Ùáñï. ºñ» ˳ Ý»ñ (1928)

ê³ ñÇ ÏÁ ¨ ¼³ ñÇ ÏÁ (1928)

ܳ ïÛáõñ Ùáñï. ̳ ÕÇÏ Ý»ñ. Ð³Û ñ» ݳ Ï³Ý å³ ï» ñ³½ ÙÇ Ñ³Û Ù³ñ ïÇÏ Ý» ñÇÝ (1945)

ܳïÛáõñÙáñï (1913)

¾. ¸»·³, ÎÇÝÁ ùñǽ³ÝûÙÝ»ñáí (1865)

¶³ÉÇݳ àõ ɳ Ýá í³ ÛÇ ¹Ç Ù³Ý Ï³ ñÁ (1940) ܳïÛáõñÙáñï. òÇÏɳٻÝÝ»ñ (1940)

ú. è»Ýáõ³ñ, ijÝݳ ê³Ù³ñÇÇ ¹ÇٳݳϳñÁ (1877)

ºñ¨ ³ ÝÛ³Ý μ³ ÏÁ ·³ñ ݳ ÝÁ (1928)

ÐÇÝ ºñ¨³ÝÇ ÙÇ ³ÝÏÛáõÝ (1928)

êï»÷³Ý ²Õ³ç³ÝÛ³ÝÇ ¹ÇÙ³ÝϳñÁ (1930)

²Ï³¹»ÙÇÏáë Ð. úñμ»Éáõ ¹ÇÙ³ÝϳñÁ ¥1943)

Î. γÙë³ñ³Ï³ÝÇ ¹ÇÙ³ÝϳñÁ (1935)

²ÝÓ ñ¨ Ù³ ÛÇ ëÇ ëϽμÇÝ (1942)

ÐáíѳÝÝ»ë î»ñ-³¹¨áëÛ³Ý

îá ݳ í³ ×³é. [§ÐÇÝ ê³ Ù³ñ ճݹ¦ ß³ñ ùÇó ] (1917)

öáùñ ³é³ ·³ë ï³ Ý³ íÁ (ý» ÉÛáõ ·³) μ»é ݳ ó ÷» ÉÇë. §îñ³ åÇ ½áݦ ß³ñ ùÇó (1914)

²ßݳÝÁ` ßáõϳÛÇó Ñ»ïá (1942)

Æç¨ ³ ݳ ïáõ ÝÁ. [§ÐÇÝ ê³ Ù³ñ ճݹ¦ ß³ñ ùÇó] (1917)

¶Ýãáõ Ý» ñÁ ¾ñÇ í³ ÝáõÙ (1913)

øñ¹» ñÁ Ññ³ å³ ñ³ ÏáõÙ. ¿ïÛáõ¹ (1914)

´³ ÃáõÙ. ̳ é» ñÇ ï³Ï (1913)

Ø»ñ ïáõÝÁ. ¿ïÛáõ¹ (1911)

г í³ μáõÝ (1910) ¾ñÇ í³Ý (÷á Õá óÇ ï» ë³ ñ³Ý` ï³Ý íñ³ ɳå ï» ñáí) (1911)

γ Ùáõñç ¼³Ý· íÇ íñ³ ¥1923)

¶³μñÇ»É ¶ÛáõñçÛ³Ý

ä. 껽³Ý, γËí³Í Ù³ñ¹áõ ïáõÝÁ (1872-1873)

ꨳÝÛ³Ý ï»ë³ñ³Ý (1938)

ä. 껽³Ý, ̳é»ñÁ ij ¹» ´áõýý³ÝáõÙ (1885-1887)

²é³ íáïÁ ¶á ñÇ ëáõÙ (1954)

êåÇï³Ï ųÛé»ñ. ê¨³Ý (²ÛñÇí³Ýù) (1958)

Blank Page