Portrait Busts of Armenian Intellectuals by Hakob Gurdjian (1910s)

Abstract

Hakob Gurdjian was separated from his homeland by the spatial distance, the ways of reducing and dispelling of which appear in the wide-ranging starting point of expressiveness thanks to creative and artistic interpretation. Hakob Gurdjian was a member of the Union of Armenian Artists (Tiflis) and the "Ani" Union of Armenian Artists (Paris): this "act", as a circumstance, is an example of creating public engagement through art. Being a part of the artistic community formulating the "Armenian style", a collective thought based on national belonging, H. Gurdjian was getting closer to his identity as well.                                  When referring to Armenian intellectuals in the creative process, the course of life was fixed in a different way, because Hakob Gurdjian rediscovered Armenia in this way. Sculptural language was the focus of his external and internal contemplations, in this case as language awakening into form, because a direction that could lead to a dead end, ultimately led to self-discovery.    Among such portraits busts are the portraits busts of Alexander Shirvanzade, Margarit Shirvanzade, Arshak Chopanyan and Vahan Teryan, the analysis of which simultaneously reveals personal connections: in particular, the personal connection established with Alexander Shirvanzade reveals the sketches of Hakob Gurdjian for a statue dedicated to another Armenian figure Khachatur Abovyan.