ARARAT-ESKIJIAN MUSEUM

THE ORGANIZATION OF ISTANBUL ARMENIANS (OIA)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR ARMENIAN STUDIES AND RESEARCH (NAASR)

PRESENT AN ILLUSTRATED LECTURE

EXPRESSIONS OF ARMENIAN IDENTITY IN

THE ART OF ARSHILE GORKY

Sponsored by the Glendale Public Library

Through the generous support of Vatche and Arlene Sarkoyan

by

Prof. Levon Chookaszian

UNESCO Professor of Armenian Art History,
Yerevan State University

Arshile Gorky, Garden in Sochi.

Thursday, August 12, 2010
7:00 p.m.

Glendale Central Library Auditorium

222 E. Harvard Street (2nd floor)

Glendale, CA 91205

A reception will follow the program.

For more information contact

NAASR at 617-489-1610 or [email protected];

Ararat-Eskijian Museum at 818-838-4862 or

 [email protected];

Ohannes Kulak Avedikian of OIA at 818-800-1976

Arshile Gorky is considered to be one of the key figures in twentieth century art. His painting
belongs to the Surrealist movement but at the same time he is seen by some art historians as the
first of the Abstract Expressionists.

 This lecture will attempt to identify expressions of Armenian identity in some of Gorky’s
works. Gorky’s artistic legacy has not yet been completely deciphered. In particular, the
expressions of his Armenian identity in his art are still waiting to be explored. The abstraction of
forms and his unique iconography make it difficult to understand his art and the Armenian
aspects of it. Thus, it is necessary to identify his expressions of “Armenianness” in order to
unravel these mysteries. It was his own story that he painted all his life, but he disguised his
secret desires through visual camouflage, using signs and symbols known only to him.

Although art critics and scholars have made attempts to make sense of Gorky’s expressions of
Armenian identity in his art, there remains a great deal to be done in this area. Our
understanding of his paintings and sketches and the meanings of his visual symbols will be more
complete if we try to know more about his personal Armenian world.