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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:

Sergei Parajanov

Title:

Golgotha, 1979

Location:

Sergei Parajanov Museum, Yerevan

Artist: Sergei Parajanov
Title: Golgotha, 1979
Location: Sergei Parajanov Museum, Yerevan

Sergey Parajanov usually doesn't comment on his works so as each viewer could feel and describe the art on their own way. This work belongs to the series of non-described works of the master as well.

Artist:

Hovhannes Zardarian

Title:

Armenians Exiled Towards Ararat, 1975

Location:

Artist's Family Collection

Artist: Hovhannes Zardarian
Title: Armenians Exiled Towards Ararat, 1975
Location: Artist's Family Collection

Hovhannes Zardayan was born in 1918 in kars (Western Armenia). During the Genocide, the Zardaryans takes the exile path as well and the emotions connected to the lost motherland was reflected in the "The Exile of the Armenians to Ararat" canvas. Hovhannes Zardaryan was an artists of free soul. He used to say "Everybody has his own dream. The dream begins with the birth and something makes the human say something. The most important thing is get the word heard. It’s a big happiness when you are able to express your feeling on a canvas."

Artist:

Armen Atayan

Title:

The Saviour Church, 2015

Location:

Artist's Collection

Artist: Armen Atayan
Title: The Saviour Church, 2015
Location: Artist's Collection

The artist depicted the dilapidated church. which has seen so much pain and sufferings, but still standing in Ani’s devastations an impressionistic spirit.

Ani was the 11th capital of the historic Armenia which used to be famous as "the city of thousand and one churches". The city was founded in the 5th century. Later in centuries, Ani has been subjected to invaders attacks.As a result of the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the inhantends were forced to migrate from their fatherland. The Ani’s devastations remained in the hands of Turks, the invaders who later on tried to wrench the Armenian history by their groundless attempts to present Ani as a part of their history country.

Artist:

Hovhannes Aivazovsky

Title:

Night. Armenians Thrown Overboard, 1897

Location:

Armenian School, Beirut

Artist: Hovhannes Aivazovsky
Title: Night. Armenians Thrown Overboard, 1897
Location: Armenian School, Beirut

The Armenians inhabiting in the Ottoman empire have been continuously subjected to violence and massacres before the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Since 1894-96 more than hundred thousand Armenians have been massacred in various regions of the Western Armenia. This horrific and tragic news deeply influenced the world famous Hovhannes Aivazovsky. He expressed his pain and sufferings by creating series of painting such as "Night. Armenians thrown overboard", "The massacre of Trabizon", "Lord Byron visiting the Mekhitarist Congregation of ST Lazzaro", "Farewell" and the "Night. Tragedy at the Sea of Marmara" canvas as well.

Aivazovsky suddenly died in 1900 leaving the "Explosion of a Turkish warship" canvas unfinished on the molbert.

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SHARED ARTS section.
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shared arts

Artist:

Adriana Angolian