Martiros Saryan

[Aratta-Kingdom]

'The earth like a living thing has its own spirit, and without one's native land, without close touch with one's motherland, it is impossible to find oneself, one's soul'

 

-Martiros Saryan

 

 

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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxqhHAOVQuE...eature=related

[Ashot]

Martiros Saryan (1880 -1972) is one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, an outstanding colorist. 'Color is a genuine miracle', the painter exclaimed. 'In combination with sunlight, it expresses the spirit of object's shape and the essence of universal existence'. Saryan's paintings, created in bright, saturated colors represent a new aesthetic perception enable us to understand that art is not only an imitation of reality but, it is the use of free imagination and abstraction. At the same time, Saryan adheres simple natural shapes in his paintings, always believing nature to be his main mentor.

 

In the beginning of the 1910's, Saryan was a bold innovator, who brilliantly united artistic traditions of the East with the new achievements of the twentieth century European painting. The artist was recognized in Russia, where some of his paintings were bought by the famous Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, others were exhibited in Europe. In 1921, Saryan settled in Armenia, to participate in its spiritual rebirth. The ideology of the Soviet country in which he resided created certain difficulties for his free creative evolution. But the artist remained loyal to the principles of his own style. The earlier elaborated technical methods and ways of expression were enriched with new content. As a founder of the modern Armenian school of painting, Saryan asserted in his art the timeless and humanistic values of high art.

 

Martiros Saryan was born on the 29th of February 1880 in the Armenian town of Novaya Nakhichevan, situated near the Don river in Russia (presently in Rostov-on-Don). Saryan's ancestors originated from Ani - the ancient capital of Armenia. As a result of migration, some Armenians settled in the Crimea. At the end of the 18th century, Russian Queen Catherine the II granted lands on the banks of the Don river in Russia to Armenians displaced from the Crimea by the Tatars. The parents of future artist owned a farmstead near the Sambek River. The Saryans usually spent the summer in a small house built by their father Sarkis. Saryan would recall his childhood years in the steppe with special inspiration. This was the time when an inexhaustible admiration for the versatile and multicolored nature conceived in his heart: 'I saw everything appear in the glow of the sunlight - slender corn and grass alternately, covered with myriad flowers, with bees and butterflies hovering above… All that impetuously attracted me. I was charmed. I entered the grain field dipping myself into the world of dreams. I walked for a long time and after getting tired I fell asleep on the ground like on my mother's bosom' (from unpublished manuscripts). The childish perception of the world forever designated the role of the natural sunlight and sheer colors in the artist's visual perception of the world.

 

 

Saryan loved sharing his thoughts about the essence of creative work and art. The artist’s thoughts expressed orally or in writing are notable for particular poetics and deep philosophical essence. In his wise reflections, Saryan refers to many issues of aesthetical perception of our time. Revealing the secrets of artistic mastery, he teaches to look with the eyes and see with the heart.

 

Art is a living and eternal assertion of life and triumph of creative talent of a human being. Art is born in an inseparable relationship of a human with nature and soil. It can be old and new, depending on how much a man embodies the generalized intellectual and aesthetical experiences of humankind and on how different a man is today from what he used to be in the past.

 

Art is the aspiration of a man towards immortality and it is his will to live forever. There are people, however, who prefer a photograph over a portrait. There are people who more or less in touch with art but lag behind from the pace of life and are resistant to modern art. The former, unfortunately, do not comprehend that grasping any painting requires mastering the culture and harmony of vision. The latter do not perceive art in its historical motion and live without realizing their time.

 

Style is the artist himself. It is a creative personality. It is undisputable. However, also it is undisputable that every artist is a part of a definite epoch. If he lags behind then oftentimes it is needless to talk about his style.

 

In nature everything is initially animated. Everything is in the process of becoming. Even a stone is not thrown by chance. It lies as if it lives.

 

A human being is nature itself. Nature creates a human being to have a look at oneself with the eyes of a human being, to cognize oneself and be amazed at ones own beauty. This is the enormous happiness of a human being: the great and eternal nature and a small creature having nature’s endless grace inside.

 

Color is a real miracle. It is happiness. Is it not amazing to see nature so colorful? Less than a half a century ago artists painted mostly in grey colors, but impressionists opened the eyes of those who were resistant to color.

 

There are two significant factors - color and light. When used appropriately the soul of a form can be created.

 

Colors, just like people, have a unique individuality which must be respected. Colors used for a painting should be like soloists in a band and not like choristers. What sort of pleasure is it to see a faceless crowd instead of separate interesting faces? If the natural color of an object is, for instance, blue, and color correlations of the painting require it to be red (or any other color), then it is possible to transform it to red.

 

The ability to amaze is a grate gift... The ability to amaze leads to the revelation of the truth. Look around; look at the wonderful world we live in. It is the beginning of everything: plants, animals, men and enables us to live, see and feel.

 

The color should sing. It should express the perception of the essence of life which is in every human being. By using color I even further enhance what I see so that the light could be more brilliant in my work.

 

”The life of the nature is amazing and mysterious. A seed germinates in the soil, grows, blossoms in the right time,breeds seed again… that’s why it doesn’t pass away. A human being is also like that. He does not pass away because he is the nature. To cognize it means to cognize immortality”

 

http://news.am/pic/news/44319.jpg

[Ashot]

Մարտիրոս Սարյանի նկարները ներկայացված են Նիդերլանդներում ընթացող ցուցահանդեսում

 

Նիդերլանդների Գրոնինգեն քաղաքի լավագույն թանգարաններից մեկում, հիմնանորոգումից հետո, առաջին ցուցադրությամբ, 2010 թ. դեկտեմբերի 19-ին բացվել է «Ռուսաստան եւ օրիենտալիզմ» խորագրով` նախկին խորհրդային երկրների արվեստագետների արեւելյան թեմաներով ստեղծագործությունների ցուցահանդեսը, որը կգործի մինչեւ 2011 թ. մայիսի 8-ը:

 

Հայաստանի մշակույթի նախարարությունից հայտնում են, որ «Անհայտ ռուսական արեւելքը» ներկայացնում է 19-րդ դարեվերջի եւ 20-րդ դարի սկզբի ռուս նկարիչներ Վերեշչագինի ու Պոլենովի` Ռուսաստանի հարավի ու Մերձավոր Արեւելքի էկզոտիկ երկրներում կատարած ճանապարհորդական փաստագիր աշխատանքներն ու 19-20-րդ դարերի սահմանագծին նույն թեմատիկայով ստեղծագործող արեւելքի գեղանկարիչների գործերը:

 

Կազմակերպիչների հավաստմամբ Հոլանդիայի ու Եվրոպայի արվեստասերների համար իսկական հայտնություն կարող է լինել Մարտիրոս Սարյանի էսթետիկան` որը շատ ինքնատիպ է, սակայն, նաեւ բնորոշ այդ ժամանակաշրջանի եվրոպական արվեստի սկզբունքներին:

 

Գրոնինգենի ցուցահանդեսին Հայաստանը ներկայացրել է 8 կտավ Մարտիրոս Սարյանի տուն-թանգարանից եւ 5 աշխատանք` Հայաստանի ազգային պատկերասրահից` Վարդգես Սուրենյանց, Մարտիրոս Սարյան, Վասիլի Պոլենով, Գրիգոր Շարբաբչյան եւ 19-րդ դարի անհայտ նկարչի 1 աշխատանք:

[Sasun]

Like many Armenians, I always thought that Martiros Saryan was a great painter. To my deepest disappointment, I have mentioned his name to many artists in the US, and nobody ever heard of him. I thought maybe these people were ignorant, so I checked online. Almost in all cases only Armenian sources talk about him. If he is really great, why is that the case? I personally like his paintings and colors, but... objectively speaking, he is not great at all. He is not even a known, good painter in the world art world, unfortunately. But it always gives me joy that Arshil Gorky, on the other hand, is a very well known, major artist. And it is always acknowledged that he was born in Armenia, the sad story of his mother, genocide, etc... In his case, it's not just Armenians but everyone.

[Azat]

Saryan was in many of my art history books, but he is NOT as big an artist as we think he is. Also Ayvazovsky was in none and I agree with the fact that he should not be because he copied he style 100% form williams.

[hetanos]

Like many Armenians, I always thought that Martiros Saryan was a great painter. To my deepest disappointment, I have mentioned his name to many artists in the US, and nobody ever heard of him. I thought maybe these people were ignorant, so I checked online. Almost in all cases only Armenian sources talk about him. If he is really great, why is that the case? I personally like his paintings and colors, but... objectively speaking, he is not great at all. He is not even a known, good painter in the world art world, unfortunately. But it always gives me joy that Arshil Gorky, on the other hand, is a very well known, major artist. And it is always acknowledged that he was born in Armenia, the sad story of his mother, genocide, etc... In his case, it's not just Armenians but everyone.

 

You have to realize that he lived during Soviet era and did not get much exposure in the west. Arshil lived in USA and got enough exposure. Have you ever heard about Minas? Ask how many Americans know him.

[Armat]

Like many Armenians, I always thought that Martiros Saryan was a great painter. To my deepest disappointment, I have mentioned his name to many artists in the US, and nobody ever heard of him. I thought maybe these people were ignorant, so I checked online. Almost in all cases only Armenian sources talk about him. If he is really great, why is that the case? I personally like his paintings and colors, but... objectively speaking, he is not great at all. He is not even a known, good painter in the world art world, unfortunately. But it always gives me joy that Arshil Gorky, on the other hand, is a very well known, major artist. And it is always acknowledged that he was born in Armenia, the sad story of his mother, genocide, etc... In his case, it's not just Armenians but everyone.

I know this is late response to old thread but anyway "great" is independent of "known" or "unknown"

Works are great weather or not rest of the world knows about him is irrelevant.

Lots of South American Artists are totally unknown to west but it does not diminish their works.

How many people know about Paruir Sevak? and yet he is a giant in modern poetry.Much bigger talent then Pablo Neruda and yet everyone knows about him....

Marketing...

Edited May 27, 2011 by Armat