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100

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100

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The Armenian Genocide has left an irreversible trace in our history and in our spirits and the reflection of grief, yearning, hope is woven in chain in the Armenian fine arts. When human languages is powerless to express what happened in 1915, the language of art does have the power to do so. Different generations of Armenian famous artists have continuously addressed the great iniquity and the artworks dedicated to the Armenian Genocide have always had their unique places in their art. Armenian artists greatly contributed to the global acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide thought their art. Many of these works have been exhibited to public but even more of them are unknown till today.

100 years

CULTURAL GENOCIDE

Acts and measures undertaken to destroy the culture of a nation or an ethnic group is called "cultural genocide". Many facts prove that simultaneous with the massacres and deportation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, the government of the Young Turks masterminded and implemented systematic destruction of the material testimonies of the Armenian civilization.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

A genocide is the organized extermination of a nation aiming to put an end to their collective existence. The extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and the surrounding regions during 1915-1923 is called the Armenian Genocide. Those massacres were masterminded and perpetrated by the government of Young Turks and were later finalized by the Kemalist government.

100 arts

The anguish of the Armenian Genocide, which is being reborn with every Armenian, has its own reflection in the Armenian fine arts. Many Armenian well known artists have created artworks both in Armenia and in Diaspora that are the speaking witness of the Armenian great pain, loss and yearning. These artworks are also ode to the Armenian viable genes, will power of giving birth, living and creation. Genocide is the type of crime that does have any expiration date. Human speech is sometimes powerless in expressing those things that are possible to express only through art. These 100 artworks will continuously tell the world about the unhealed wound of the Armenian, millions of innocent victims, demolished heartlands, bowed churches, lost homeland and infinite belief. The power of art is undeniable and artworks are eternal.

Artist:

Mkrtich Sedrakyan

Title:

Year 1915, 1960

Location:

National Gallery of Armenian, Yerevan

Artist: Mkrtich Sedrakyan
Title: Year 1915, 1960
Location: National Gallery of Armenian, Yerevan

The third stage of the planned extermination of the Armenian nation by Ottoman empire is expressed in one composition in Mkrtich Sedrakian’s "Year 1915" canvas. The first stage was enrollment of the Armenian men to Ottoman army, then disarmament and slaughter by the Turkish military associates. The second stage was the extermination of the Armenian intelligentsia and the third stage was the massacre of the women, children, elderly people by deporting them to the Syrian desert.

In the 60-ies Soviet Armenia the Armenian artists were prohibited to depict on theme of the Armenian Genocide. And only, in 1965, when the Genocide monuments was built in Tsitsernakaberd the ban barrier disappeared.

Artist:

Seeroon Yeretzian

Title:

If I Was in Adana, 1990

Location:

Private Collection

Artist: Seeroon Yeretzian
Title: If I Was in Adana, 1990
Location: Private Collection

Seeroon Yeretzian: "If the Genocide never happened, most likely this would be my family portrait - me, my husband and my son."

Artist:

Vatché Demirdjian

Title:

Massacre, 2014

Location:

Modern Art Museum of Yerevan

Artist: Vatché Demirdjian
Title: Massacre, 2014
Location: Modern Art Museum of Yerevan

MASSACRE on 8 pieces of canvas symbolizes that after the Genocide in 1915 all the Armenians have been scattered to different countries far from home.

Vatché Demirdjian. "I've been working on my painting for many years to bring all the victims of the Armenian Genocide to life. This theme is very painful for me. My grandparents survived the Genocide in Marash, they arrived to Lebanon in 1918 and in 1976 all my family went even further because of the civil war of Lebanon. I've got the same sad destiny as my grandparents. I'm in Paris now and I'm trying to survive by my art. I'm trying not to swim in the RED waters but get my head up... and never drown…"

Artist:

Minas Avetisyan

Title:

On the Road to Der-Zor, 1966-1967

Location:

Perished in the Fire

Artist: Minas Avetisyan
Title: On the Road to Der-Zor, 1966-1967
Location: Perished in the Fire

Eastern Armenia had become a safe haven for many people who found refuge here from the Turkish vandalism, with revenge and hatred in their heart, built new villages, gave birth to children and brought them up in the spirit of Mush - The grandfathers of Minas also originated from Mush. From his ancestors Minas inherited a strongly built body, will power and open heartedness.

For Minas Avetistyan the "On the Way to Der Zor" painting is his idea of the collective image of the Armenian nation. Though surviving the calamity of Genocide, The nation will powered, strong as rock continued to live and spread its roots.

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SHARED ARTS section.
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shared arts

Artist:

Adriana Angolian