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100

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100

arts

mission

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:

Shahen Aslanyan

Title:

Der-Zor, 2010

Location:

Artist's Collection

Artist: Shahen Aslanyan
Title: Der-Zor, 2010
Location: Artist's Collection

Shahen Aslanyan created this painting under the impression of real and sensitive survivals. The artist, visiting Der-Zor, where in 1915 the Ottoman Empire implemented the plan of extermination of the Armenian, felt all over again everything that had happened one century ago. Looking at the horizon of the crimson sunset, the artist “saw” the silhouette of the exhausted Armenian women with her starved children. This was a real vision, that got eternally depicted on the canvas of Shahen Aslanyan.

Artist:

Valentin Podpomogov

Title:

Requiem, 1981

Location:

Modern Art Museum of Yerevan

Artist: Valentin Podpomogov
Title: Requiem, 1981
Location: Modern Art Museum of Yerevan

Valentin Podpomogov, who was Armenian from his mother’s side, was deeply concerned about the Armenian Genocide in 1915. As an expression of pain and anguish he created series of canvases dedicated to the Genocide, the most actual one of which is this work: Completely demolished formerly inhabited soil, where you can see the church miraculously still standing far away.
The huge bell ripped off the church and the dust still at unease after the devastation makes us feel through the 1915 all over again. But as a shine of hope and salvation, one can see the God’s light cracked from the black sky.

Artist:

Philip Hagopian

Title:

If Sand Could Speak, 2011-2012

Location:

Mane Gallery, Yerevan

Artist: Philip Hagopian
Title: If Sand Could Speak, 2011-2012
Location: Mane Gallery, Yerevan

Philip Hagopian: "If sand could speak what would it say? In the silent empty deserts of Der- Zor the sand holds a testimony that whole nations denies. The bones of my fathers, cousins, uncles, aunts, friends, and neighbors are crumbling there. The days of their rich lives, their laughter and love are whispering from those sands. The shock and torment of little children, families of a entire nation are screaming from witnessing these sands and now the world will hear them."

Artist:

Grigor Khandjyan

Title:

Yeghern (Illustration to Paruyr Sevak's), 1963-1965

Location:

National Gallery of Armenian, Yerevan

Artist: Grigor Khandjyan
Title: Yeghern (Illustration to Paruyr Sevak's), 1963-1965
Location: National Gallery of Armenian, Yerevan

Shahen khachatryan (Аrt critic): "Series of Grigor Khanjyan book illustrations are dedicated to the Armenian tragedy. The unique composition of the paintings, linear, impactful sounds enhance the bitter sufferings. In Paruyr Sevak’s “Unsilenceable Belfry” poem Grigor Khanjyan always depicted the genius musician Komitas as an high spirited shepherd with the nation. But when the extermination of Armenian occurs the light extinguishes and the darkness prevails…"

share your arts

Here, you can upload your artwork dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. The uploaded artwork will be published in the
SHARED ARTS section.
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shared arts

Artist:

Adriana Angolian