Talking Art Of Yerevan

[MosJan]

TALKING ART OF YEREVAN

 

"I think all the monuments of Yerevan need to be renovated. Specialists’ groups should be created for that. They will study the monuments and define the ways of their renovation. We shouldn’t waste time, otherwise, one beautiful day the monument to Martiros Sarian created by Tokmajian will be colored, while the horse of Kochar’s Vartan Mamikonian will become a zebra," Mekhak Izmirian, head of the Yerevan History Museum, said. He has been studying the monuments of Yerevan and accumulate information about a thousand of "blossomed" stones.

 

"Almost all the monuments in our city are covered with dust of the years, paint, droppings of the birds, cracks that appeared after the snow, the rain, the sun and the wind. The vandals have spoiled many of the monuments covering them with nasty inscriptions. Especially when the spring comes, the children or even the youth are sitting on the big monuments," Mekhak Izmirian said and added that such phenomenon is caused by the lack of culture and awareness. "Maybe many of them wouldn’t destroy the monuments if they knew to whom or to which event the monument is dedicated to. I think the best way out is to make name boards and place it beside the monuments. This will not coast much," Izmirian said.

 

He told that sometimes the pupils or even the teachers do not know whose monument is set up in the yard of the school. Meanwhile, there are rather interesting monuments in the yards of the schools.

 

Izmirian told also about the forgotten monuments, columns and monuments-springs. The latter can be set in each yard, we can fail to notice them due to our indifference. It is interesting but such fountains are registered anywhere. The Yerevan History Museum is going to publish books on the monuments of Yerevan to secure the awareness of the people about their own city.

 

Izmirian also brought the example of the arts of father and son Bejanians. If the father Hovhannes Bejanian created the monument of the water selling boy and each resident of Yerevan is proud of that, Bejanian junior created the monument to Arno Babajanian. The monuments are so different.

 

By Susana Margarian

 

AZG Armenian Daily #046, 16/03/2005

[Siamanto]

[somehow related! Siamanto]

 

The family's modesty can do harm to the museum: Martiros Sarian's 125th

anniversary

 

By Hovhannes Yeranian

 

Yerkir/arm

11 March 05

 

125th anniversary of one of the greatest Armenian artists, Martiros

Sarian was recently celebrated. Due to the efforts of the personnel of

Sarian's house-museum the museum visitors can see more and more

valuable exhibits telling about the great artist's life. Last year

Sarian's granddaughter, art critic Ruzan Sarian was appointed director

of the museum. We asked Mrs. Sarian to share with us the problems of

the museum.

 

Martiros Sarian lived in this house from 1932 to 1967. In 1964, the

Armenian government made an unprecedented decision to create the

artist's house-museum. `Many people were visiting Sarian's house and

his paintingswere all over the place. The creation of the museum put

an end to this inconvenience=80=9D, Ruzan Sarian remembers.

 

Currently, Sarian's relatives live in the house and this is good

because they manage to preserve the great artist's spirit. However,

Mrs. Sarian also believes that the family's modesty can do harm to the

museum. She is dissatisfied with reconstruction works implemented in

the museum through one of the Lincy Foundation projects.

 

`Now when we are celebrating Sarian's anniversary we do notfeel

comfortable receiving guests at the museum because the parquet floors

on the second floor are in a very poor condition. During the

reconstruction works the parquet flooring was covered with low-quality

Turkish varnish that has rapidly decayed and now the flooring needs to

be replaced', Mrs. Sarian said.

 

Reconstruction of Sarian's museum seems to be the lowest quality

project implemented by Lincy Foundation's Culture Project. Mrs. Sarian

is very upset about the ventilation and heating systems installed at

the museum noting that the huge system is not appropriate for the

museum since it produces a lot of noise.

 

 

The museum also had problems with heating. Mrs. Sarian told that this

year ArmenTel Company covered the heating costs this year but next

winter the museum is most likely to experience similar problems

again. Even though there is a gas line on Sarian street, provision of

natural gas for the museum was not included into the reconstruction

project implemented by the Lincy Foundation.

 

Mrs. Sarian also informed us about various events that will be held in

the framework of celebrations of the great artist's 125th

anniversary.`A documental-memorial exhibition hall will soon be opened

with special funding allocated for the anniversary. It is necessary to

exhibit not only the works of the great painter but also tell the

public about his life and his civil activities', Mrs. Sarian noted.

 

She shared with us some interesting information regarding Sarian's

life. `In 1915 the Moscow-based Armenian Committee delegated Sarian to

Yerevan the organize assistance to the refugees that had escaped the

Genocide. I would also like to mention that Sarian signed many of the

petitions sent to Moscow by Armenian intellectuals in 1960's demanding

recognition of the Armenian Genocide and reunification of the Western

Armenian lands and Artsakh', Mrs. Sarian told.

 

An album telling about the museum will be published with funding

provided by the government. It will contain 150-200 color photos. A

series of exhibitions will be held. An exhibition titled `Sarian and

Russia' willbe opened in June. A governmental reception will be held

at the Opera and Ballet Theaterin November.

 

Most of Sarian's paintings are abroad, mainly in Russia. This is

natural because the artist started painting in 1910's and earned his

livingby selling his works. Within the framework of the anniversary

celebrations the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow will organize a special

exhibition of Sarian's early works. In 2006 Sarian's individual

exhibition will be opened in Mayol Museum in Paris.

 

Only a small portion of Sarian's paintings were bought and returnedto

the museum. `Geghama Mountains' is one of such

paintings. GarikBasmachian bought the painting at an auction in New

York and donated it to the museum.

 

There were several other donations but since the paintings are very

expensive it is impossible to return all of the artist's works to the

museum collection. Instead, it is planned to publish an album of all

of Sarian's paintings.

 

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg105200.html