Armenian artists

[Евгений]

Interesting information .. (Part 1)
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David Hovhannisyan, Nshan Balian and his wife Takuya, Mkrtich Karakashyan Ifkeris with his wife and six other Armenian masters of ceramics from Kutahya appeared in Jerusalem in 1919. Since the late Middle Ages Turkish city of Kutahya was the center for the unique pottery, from the XVIII century Armenian masters were in the forefront of this industry. From the XIV century, mainly from the XVI and XVII centuries, one can identify large numbers of Armenian craftsmen who built ceramic tiles for wall decoration in churches and mosques and a variety of ceramic products. Numerous examples of ceramics from Kutahya can be found among the ceramic tiles, painted by Armenian artists and sent as a gift the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of St. James in Jerusalem. Painted mostly in blue, green and yellow colors, these tiles still adorn the walls of the Cathedral of St. James. They are characterized by carefully and skillfully executed drawing on some shows multi-figured compositions.

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The Art of Kütahya from time to time referred to in the works for traditional ceramics, the most thorough study of the Armenian painted tiles in the churches of Jerusalem belongs to John Carswell. Researchers of ceramic art in İznik, Kütahya and other centers of production in Turkey takes, basically, describing, cataloging and dating of works of XVI-XIX centuries. Little attention was paid to social and conceptual research. Production of the XIX century was regarded as less valuable artistically, imitating ancient models. XX century was estimated as a time of mass production. For this reason, Armenian Ceramics of Jerusalem was beyond the scope of scientific research. I never studied it as a contribution to the art itself ceramics, and in the life of the city. Scientists have avoided mention of Armenian artists of the XX century Kütahya for political reasons.

After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey production of ceramics in Kütahya engaged Turkish artisans, usually imitating Iznik ceramics. As pointed out in his book, Carswell: "When the Armenian element among the pottery has been removed as a result of ethnic tensions in the republic of education, workshops have become a purely Turkish, on this basis, developed modern industry." (Note unsurpassed "orderly" Mr. Carswell in expressions. Art historian hopes to do without a policy, to observe neutrality. The result can assess the reader. - Comm. Ed.)

Armenian artists continue the ancient traditions of their ancestors from Kütahya and treated to a small group of families. The life and work of these families in three generations may shed light on unexplored aspects of the history kyutahiyskoy ceramics. Moreover, in this case is the lifestyle and work are rarely encountered in the XX century, the worldview of the inhabitants of the Old City and its unique environment.

In 1986, the Ha'aretz Museum in Tel Aviv organized an exhibition "The Armenian Ceramics of Jerusalem, beginning the study of the Jerusalem School of Armenian ceramics. In the catalog of the exhibition of its curator Yael Olenikov trace the history of this school from the beginning. She presented the work at least two generations of Armenian art of ceramics since 1922. Were exhibited tools, a review of the formal traditions and its possible sources for these workshops. Olenikov laid the initial foundation for future research. At the same time, like many other scientists, it erected to the Islamic tradition of paintings in Iznik and Kutahya, without going into the differences between practices of local shops Jerusalem.
In January 2000, the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv has a new exhibition "Birds of Paradise", devoted to works of Marie Balian. The exhibition organizers have tried to put the creativity of the artist in the framework of the traditions of the Armenian ceramics in Jerusalem, numbering three generations of artists. The author was curator of the exhibition and catalog.

Except for these two directories, one of the scientists are not subjected to thorough study of the Armenian ceramics of Jerusalem, had not conducted a comparative study, despite the fact that the artifacts were produced in large quantities, were given the honorary guests of the city, decorated with the President's residence in Israel.

My goal - to present the work of the Armenian school of ceramics as an art form with its timeline and stages of development.

In the XIX and XX century, especially in the painted ceramic tiles and glazed pottery from Iznik and Kütahya, and also from Persia and Central Asia quite differently valued in the West and the East. In the West, these items were valued as a wonderful handmade, decent storage and collectibles. In meetings leading European museums such pottery was exhibited as a product of the traditional collective artistic creativity with a distinct beauty and charm. Even if you mentioned the names of the creators, their pottery was estimated as conventional products, based on stereotypes samples. In the East, ceramist regarded themselves as creators, rather than craftsmen, although not formulated a conceptual theory of his work. Founder of the Jerusalem School David Hovhannisyan (1884-1963) has repeatedly expressed his artistic identity in an interview for the newspapers and other documents.

I contend that the Jerusalem pottery has its own artistic expression and occupies a unique place in the history of the production of glazed ware, we must recognize the unique role of the artist in such workshops. You can distinguish between a craftsman who mechanically reproduces inherited forms and designs, and the artist, who develops traditional visual scheme, generating its own visual language, a dynamic and diverse.



Armenian Ceramics - this art form, where the methods of design and execution were transmitted orally from father to son, from master - to the student. They never recorded and were not documented. This product uses the family stories and songs, the time-tested. The image of the artist's life, the order of work in the studio and the production process of products form an autonomous culture.

Moving to Jerusalem. Workshop of David Hovhannisyan

Three families of Armenian ceramic artists, led by artist David Hovhannisyan and its partners - the potter Nshan Balyan (1882-1964) and artist Mkrtich Karakashyanom (1895-1963) were invited to the Holy Land newly created company "Pro-Jerusalem" to update the tile dome Dome of the Rock Jerusalem. In addition to concerns about the destruction of the tiles that adorn the mosque XVI century, it is an invitation to reflect the intentions of the new British authorities in Mandatory Palestine. They outlined the secretary of the society "Pro-Jerusalem" architect Charles Ashbee: revive traditional handicraft production of ceramics, glass, patterned fabrics, thereby bringing the image of the city of Jerusalem to the Mediterranean region, embodying the Western idea of Jerusalem as the "city of the East."



Charles Ashby, an active member of the British movement "Arts and Crafts, presented after his arrival in the city of the East and the romantic concept of artistic tradition, formed in England in the early XIX century. Three years of work by the architect and secretary of the society "Pro-Jerusalem" (1919-1922) became critically important for the city. The architectural concept of Ashby was the desire to create Jerusalem as a city of multi-level images, rooted in Christianity, and in romantic notions about the East.

David Hovhannisyan, the most experienced and mature of Armenian artists in Kütahya has been famous for its products and received orders for restoration work in the mosques and private houses finish. Through his skill he had visited many capitals of Europe and the Middle East, the family stories he was involved in the restoration of painted tiles, even in the holy cities of Arabia - Mecca and Medina. Among the admirers of his talent was a famous British diplomat - Sir Mark Sykes, ordered the tile for his estate in England. Friendship Ambassador influenced the arrival Oganesyana in Jerusalem.

Work in Kütahya was interrupted with the outbreak of World War II. Despite the efforts of the governor to protect his protege, Oganesyan and his wife Victoria and their three children, like other Armenians, was sent under escort to the deportation and death in the deserts of Syria. Only his wealth and connections have helped the family survive. They found refuge in Aleppo before the end of the war, this is where David ran into an old friend - Sir Mark Sykes. He presented Oganesyana British officials, who later became customers and patrons of the Armenian artist in Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, Oganesyan and his students have found a new reality, integrated into the ancient Armenian community, and began to produce ceramics for the Christian, Muslim and Jewish customers. The new reality is needed in order to become part of city life, and new sources of inspiration have led these artists to create art, different in some key aspects of the ancient tradition.

Soon, work on the restoration of the Rock Mosque was stopped due to the termination of funding. Oganesyan opened a workshop on the Via Dolorosa. In 1922 Karakashyan Balian and left the shop Oganesyan and founded his own on the streets of Nablus, 14.
Like younger colleagues, David Hovhannisyan clearly see themselves as an artist and, moreover, as the founder of ceramic art in Jerusalem (see the inscription on the altar Armenian cemetery on Mount Zion). Works of David Hovhannisyan, stay in Jerusalem until 1948, were closely associated with the traditions of Iznik and Kutahya, with samples from the Sultan's palace. In his work Oganesyan depicts trees (mostly fir) and flowers, based on samples of the painting of the harem in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace. For its rich shades of color, surrounded by contours, characterized by the ratio of bright blue on a white background, red and black versions. I'm sure Oganesyan aware symbolic Christian meaning of buildings, which he decorated in Jerusalem. The walls and the dome over the fountain in the Rockefeller Museum is fully covered with a pattern of bright stars in the technique of the masters of the XV century in Tabriz, repeated in the XVI century with the decoration of the Mosque of the Rock. Y Oganesyan, we see a return to ancient Christian symbolism, where the dome is a heavenly body, a water fountain - Jesus Christ as the source of life. The same constellations are visible on the ceilings of ancient Christian tombs and chapels for baptism. Images of cypress trees on either side of the fountain in the hospital of St. John built in two of the triptych, and thus placed in the framework of the new symbolism of the tree of life. Thus, Oganesyan transformed the traditional figurative language of the universal Christian form suitable for the Jerusalem buildings. In the church of St. Andrew, built in the years 1927-1930 in memory of the Scottish soldiers killed in battles with the Turks in Palestine, he designed the fountain in the style of Muslim prayer niche - mihrab. In 1930 he created two of the six mosaic panels that adorn the graves of the Patriarchs in the cloister of the Armenian cemetery on Mount Zion, near the Church of the Savior. Armenian cross-stones, of course, served as the main source of inspiration for the composition.

In his workshop Oganesyan not only determined the painting each tile and each item of cookware, but controlling all stages of production. He hired the Armenian orphans from Turkey and taught them skills with specialization in various stages of work. Some of them stayed in the studio until its closure in 1948. In an interview published in 1944 in the Palestine Post, the journalist described the work of the workshop: "Hovhannisyan - old-fashioned artist, a connoisseur of great tradition, reporting to the present day. No bowl, vase or tile will not go beyond the gate until it is completely made by hand, until the paint murals will not be mixed and covered with a glaze in his eyes. " When finished imported raw materials, Oganesyan devoted much time to research and develop new formulas for paints and glazes.

Oganesyan the first Armenian artists adapted the motives of the Armenian mosaics VI century with birds and vines, discovered in Jerusalem in 1894. His comments on the product catalog workshop demonstrated the intention to preserve the eastern tradition of painting pottery, which she had been since the days of ancient Persia before the Byzantine era.

David Hovhannisyan left Jerusalem in 1848 and four years later he died in Beirut. Although none of the children were not followed in his footsteps, his workshop students in Jerusalem continued moving along their chosen path.
 By Nurit KENAAN-Kedar (Part 1.)