Arshak Fetvadjian (Արշակ Ֆետվաջյան, 1866-1947) was an artist, painter, and designer. He is particularly known as the author of the wash drawings of the medieval Armenian city of Ani, as well as a designer of road signs and post stamps of the First Republic of Armenia.
Over 20 years of his activity, Fetvadjian has created over 2000 pieces ranging from pencil paintings to complex and delicate wash drawings.
Even though several prestigious American universities addressed Fetvadjian in order to publish his works, the donated all his paintings and drawings to the archive of the National State Museum of the Armenian SSR (now called National Gallery of Armenia).
Grigory Shildian (Գրիգորի Շելտյան, 1900-1985) was a Russian and Italian artist of Armenian descent and an author of a number of works in the styles of realism and Cubo-Futurism.
Shildian was born in Nakhichevan. Years later, he would move to Russia and shortly after to Italy, where he would become one of the most prominent Italian artists and politicians.
The museum dedicated to Shildian’s 32 art pieces was opened in the villa Mirabela del Vittoriale in Gardone Riviera in 1989.
Martiros Saryan (Մարտիրոս Սարյան, 1880-1972) was an Armenian and Soviet painter and a theatrical artist. His oeuvre played a major role in the establishment of the Armenian national school of painting.
There are streets in Yerevan, Rostov-on-Don, and Nakhichevan named after the great artist. Some schools in the territory of the former Soviet Union bear the name of Martiros Saryan. In Yerevan also stands a monument to this magnificent painter.
Saryan’s painting “On the slopes of Aragats” has been sold at the Sotheby auction for $947 thousand.
Hakob Kojoyan (Հակոբ Կոջոյան, 1883-1959) was a painter and one of the founders of the Armenian national art. Kojoyan was one of those artists who created traditions. His artistic influence and contribution to painting were so great that their traces are still evident in the pieces of other artists. Kojoyan’s vivid imagination supported by national cultural sources and history greatly complimented his family of artists, whose inspiration was in nature.
Vardges Surenyants (Վարդգես Սուրենյանց, 1860-1921) was an Armenian painter and an art theorist. The pieces of Surenyants have been showcased in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Berlin, London, Paris, Prague, Tiflis, Rostov-on-Don, Crimea, and many other locations. A large collection of the artist’s works that are filled with compassion towards his people and his concern of their future is now kept in the National Gallery of Armenia.
Surenyants has been also involved in the creation of the painting ornamentation of an Armenian church in Yalta. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to finish this project.
Gevorg Bashinjaghian (Գեւորգ Բաշինջաղյան, 1857-1925) was an Armenian painter, as well as the founder of Armenian landscape painting. Several Armenian artists, including Martiros Saryan, considered Bashinjaghian their predecessor. In the years of his activity, Bashinjaghian created over 1,000 paintings. Apart from painting, the artist was also involved in literature. In particular, he has been collecting the songs of Sayat-Nova for 30 years.
Grigor Khanjyan (Գրիգոր Խանջյան, 1926-2000) was a Soviet Armenian painter, an author of mostly landscape paintings, though he created a number of works on the lifestyle of the Armenians. His pieces have been filled with dramatic character and built on the sharp contrast between light and shadow.
Yervand Kochar (Երվանդ Քոչար, 1899-1979) was an Armenian artist and sculptor. He was born in Tiflis, but he would spend most of his life in France before eventually returning to his homeland.
The first individual exhibition of Kochar’s works was held in 1965, 30 years after his return to Armenia. The museum of Yervand Kochar displaying the whole artistic path of Kochar was established in 1984.
Edgar Chahine (Էդգար Շահին, 1874-1947) was a French illustrator, painter, and engraver of Armenian descent. Chahine has been connected to his homeland to the core and has always responded to any request of holding his exhibitions in the Caucasus. He even presented the National Gallery of Armenia with 160 of his best etching pieces at the Gallery’s request. However, Chahine has never managed to fulfill his dream and visit Armenia, his homeland.
Read also: World-Renowned Armenian Artist, World-Renowned Armenian Artists – Part 3