Gevorg
Stepanovich Grigoryan (Giotto)

1916 – 1920 – studies at the Tiflis school of painting and sculpture.

1921 – 1922 – studies in VHUTEMAS e in Moscow.

1927 – 1948 – participated in almost all exhibitions organized in Tbilisi.

1934 – participation in the exhibition of paintings in Yerevan.

1957 – participation in the exhibition "40 years of Great October revolution" in Tbilisi.

1958 – participation in the Decade of Georgian art in Moscow. Then the exhibition moved to Riga and Tallinn.

1962 – the move to a permanent residence in Yerevan.

1965 – personal exhibition in Yerevan artist's House.

1972 – participation in the exhibition artists of the Caucasus in Moscow.

1980 – opened the house-Museum of G. Grigorian in Yerevan with a permanent exhibition.

1983 – personal exhibition in Tbilisi.

Works are in museums of Armenia. Georgia, Moscow, St. Petersburg and in private collections.

Six decades of his life devoted to Gevorg Grigoryan art. He came into the world as if to prove what obstacles might overcome the person that carries the infinity of faith and capable of selfless devotion.Since childhood he has known the blows of fate, was a witness of acute injustice, defended great, fought for the truth. He went forward, he fell and got up to continue, reaching new heights. So gradually the legend was created life, the hero of which was Gevorg Grigoryan included in the history of Armenian painting under the name of Giotto."The first word that occurs and generalizes the image of the artist Gevorg Grigoryan, it's faith," writes the writer Aghasi Ayvazyan.

S. Gevorg Grigoryan was born on 12/24 November, 1897 in Tiflis. At the age of seven he lost his father. Carrying on their children's shoulders all the cares of a numerous family, George worked in a warehouse of black oil, in a barbershop, book and vegetable shops, sold Newspapers. Tbilisi, located at the crossroads of East and West, with one inherent flavor, resembled a theater stage where, at dawn, in the confusion rushed, all the characters “play”: KINTO, sellers of ghee, carpets, craftsmen; have DUDUK, began the feast... Each of the “actors” had their concerns, was endowed with character, had a kind of language. All felt the bright color and movement. And the background the moving scenery began his career George young, greedily absorbing experience. The unique city of Tbilisi has largely shaped him as an artist.

Special atmosphere of Tiflis and its impact on the artistic nature in a few sentences well expressed by Armenian writer Aghasi Ayvazyan in his essay “Bedni” Giotto”: “Tiflis, for many years the capital of Armenia in a foreign land, has always been the stage, the artistic arena not only for the expression of the Armenian spirit, but also to create an artistic image, artistic design. As fate Tiflis largely distorted rigorous and solid, understated and the local texture image as an Armenian, but he has adapted, evolved, scrolla in his image and likeness. The image of old Tbilisi evoked nostalgia and has turned into motley collective concept. Tiflis environment harbored artists, and whom she managed to form, he couldn't move away from her phantasmagoria”.

In 1916 Grigoryan enters the Tiflis school of painting and sculpture, where he taught O. Shmerling, B. Vogel, and known in that period, E. Tatevosyan, a class which was visited by the future artist. In 1918, at the annual exhibition, organized by the school, the work of Grigoryan received a high rating of teachers and the press. It was noted that the author has undeniable talent. The poet Sergei Gorodetsky, predicting the young artist a glorious future, wrote admiringly about it in the newspaper “the Caucasian word”. The boy tried to find like-minded people and friends. Tiflis in those years was a center of Armenian culture.

The fertile creative atmosphere that prevailed in the city and communication with the best representatives of the Tiflis intellectuals had a great influence on Giotto. Gevorg Grigoryan visited daily by the “Hayartun” (house of the workers of Armenian art), where he associated with the CQ. Tumanyan, Al. Shirvanzade, D. Demirchyan, E. Charanam, was personally acquainted with E. Tatevosyan, M. Saryan, G. by sharbabchyan, al. Bazhbeuk-Melikyan, E. Kochar and other well-known writers and artists.

In 1921, Grigoryan moved to Moscow and entered the Higher art workshops (VHUTEMAS). The selection Committee, taking into account the special abilities of the young artist, let him exceptionally to begin training from the second year.

The Moscow period, although short, has left its mark in the creative life of the artist. For a number of portraits, created in 1921-22 (“S. Kocharyan”, “Musician Muradyan”, “City of Kazakhan”) key be simplified forms of construction of the geometric volume through which the artist tried to recreate the psychological and emotional world of man. Soon, the artist moves away from this style because it appeals to a more realistic perception of the person and the objective world. 1922 was very productive for the company. Portraits of "Rima", "Margaret", "by D. Demirchyan", "A. Aganbekyan", "still life with doily" distinguished by bold conception and realism.

Grigorian writes still lifes, portraits, a variety of compositions. Keeping the resemblance, the artist achieves works of great imaginative precision and accuracy. Life serves as his material to create your own world in which the determining factor is the spiritual beginning. In the years Grigoryan creatively develops the geometric forms of cubism and the style of Cezanne. Fame Grigoryan bring Republican and all-Union exhibitions, organized in 1927 in Tiflis and Moscow. Local and Moscow printing appreciates original art of the artist.

Gevorg Grigoryan - one of the Armenian artists, the most clearly and vividly Express the tragedy of the Genocide in portena art. In thematic cycles Grigoryan special interest about ten works devoted to the Armenian genocide of 1915. This is mainly portraits and compositions ("Anger" 1962, "Armenian girl" 1944, "the sadness at the Komitas" 1905, "Ov Hayots Ashkhar" 1970). Special condensed tragedy etichetta Portet “Komitas”, one of the best in the series created by artists Tatarana E., and P. Terlemezyan, G. Khanjyan. Sharp transitions forms, restrained and strict combinations of color, psychological depth characteristic of all works of the cycle. This cycle is one of the best works of Giotto.

The spring of 1915. A terrible time... the Artist saw his model among the Armenian refugees, wandering through the streets of Tiflis. She was known as “the Erzurum refugee Manushak”. Written in 1929, the painting “Manushak“ creates a generalized image of the tragic woman. Armenian women in General often became the heroine of his paintings: “an Armenian from Erzerum”, “Mother”, “Armenian woman”, “Woman on the background of the Church”, “Diana”, “Motherhood”, “Sorrow”. The last name is very symbolic for Giotto. Sorrow was often the object of his paintings, ranking it as the highest expression of the tragic essence of life and the apotheosis of human suffering.

In the late 20's and early 30-ies of the artist, is experiencing rapid rise creative, creates a series of landscapes, still lifes, portraits, thematic compositions, which combine the skill of the Mature artist and the true depth realism (“Woman with a fan”, “still life with white Cup”, “Il”, “still life with book”). Giotto almost never use bright, contrasting colors, it seeks to achieve a new expressiveness of the volumes by plexus of tones and semitones.

30 years marked the beginning of the next, it is extremely difficult for Gevorg Grigoryan period. The art of these years dominant be vulgar - sociological criteria. To his work stick different labels. Giotto participation in exhibitions becomes almost impossible. Solitary, in conditions of artificial isolation, the artist, however, never loses faith and continues to work.

It was during these difficult years Giotto was born the song “Motherhood” (1936). The mother pressed the baby, with fear clinging to her. They seem caught in the eternal cycle and the premonition of loss clung to each other. In this painting the artist was able to reach the heights of tragic generalization.

Lightest biographies Grigoryan tied to the inseparable friend of his life Diana. A man of high spiritual enthusiasm, it was for him a gift of fate. Gifted artist, Diana left her beloved profession and devoted himself entirely to her husband and his art became for him an indispensable and true support in life. The artist admitted that a friend of his life, was a “co-author” of some of his works. Over the years, Giotto has created a series of portraits of Diana. They are different in character and flavor, but have a common inner core, because the most important task for the author is always a reflection of the spiritual beauty of the heroine. An excellent example of a realistic portrait is the painting, written in 1939, “Diana”.

One of the key themes of creativity Grigoryan was to dear to the heart of the Armenian images of his contemporaries and historical persons— “Vardanank”, “Queen Nvard”, “David and Handout”, “Sayat-Nova”, “O. Tumanian”, “S. Shaumyan”, “by D. Demirchyan”, “Alexander Shirvanzade”, “Alexander Myasnikyan”, “Y. Charents”. All these paintings are United by the desire to reflect the high human dignity of the heroes who, according to the artist, along with professional merit, has contributed to their continuing significance in the history of Armenia.

In the grim years of world war II and seriously ill Giotto inspired creates psychological portraits of young soldiers of the Soviet Army, characterized by the absence of any pathos and deep penetration into the essence of human images(“Portrait of a soldier” 1943).

50 years Grigoryan is undergoing a new period of creative recovery. Maintaining and developed all the characteristic of his handwriting style signs (monumentality, strict description, drama), artist, significantly changes the palette. Often-seen yellow - brown gradually gives way to the sonorous green, clean and transparent black, full blue. Paintings of this period is characterized by some Convention composition, the particular geometric forms and a more active color transitions. The background begins to play a more active role and organically merges with the other components of the picture. The subject is portrayed from different points of view in a variety of ratios. Artist pereprobyval and reinvents new images, sacrificing

the usual reliability in the name of artistic intent. The work “Pioneer” (1954), “Portrait of Lida” (1955), “Girlfriends” (1959), “still life with the iron” differ (1959) unusual new combination of elements build color and special flavor.

In 1962 Grigorian moved to Yerevan. The new environment had a beneficial effect on the artist. During this period significant for the Giotto is the techniques of black and white shading. Paintings typical of the pioneering spirit and new artistic techniques (“still life with fish” 1965, “the Flying Apple” 1965). The Painting “Still Life. Old Tiflis” (1965) again recreates the atmosphere of old Tiflis. This is a touching recollection of his native place. The whole era of the life and customs of the city revived with the power of pictorial art.

Creativity is based on Grigorian - the desire to dive into the deep essence of the man portraying him that in moments of spiritual uncertainty and grief, in moments of elation. Times change and with them changes. It gradually penetrates into the infinity of space, conquering the unknown, at the same time returning to his original nature. During this period, the artist is drawn to the inner deep essence of man and nature (“moonlight love”,1964). If the scenery of the Tiflis period ("the house with the red roof" 1929) was dominated by the mysterious loneliness of green light, the landscapes of the Yerevan cycle ("Red roof" 1970), ("Heat in Yerevan" 1971) inherent in a more mellow palette. The artist often turns to memories of childhood, portraying the bustle and movement of the old Tiflis, kind, naive, caring parents (“Mother and I” 1962), a glib, quick, witty Quinto (“Quinto on my street” 1908).

Giotto was admired indomitable will of a great friend of our people, the Czechs, ravaged with a deadly disease. Impressed with this fate, he creates a portrait of L. Motalova, reflecting the full force of the spirit and indeed the way of the cross traversed by the heroine. A brilliant feature of the painting is formulated in the letter sent by Czech Armenian friend in the Armenian language: “My dear Giotto...maybe you don't fully understand it, as it helped me in very difficult period of my life. From the picture, I learned that deeply understand and love me, and because I can be completely honest... the first time looked very much and realized that not one more that these torments are not unusual, and familiar, a thousand times experienced that I am partially there, in the picture there are not only all my past sadness now and in the future, everything is fine, otherwise it could not be. And suddenly felt a great peace, realizing that we just need to continue to do the work every day, every morning, every night, again and again to start and stay. For all this, grateful to you, for me it is an extraordinary gift, must valuable and irreplaceable gift.”

This is not only a sign of gratitude and reverence, they contain characteristics of creativity Gevorg Grigoryan, perceiving the tragic and bright pages the fate of his people not simply as the subject, and taken them through the heart and the blood and drew in a special and peculiar beauty, expressed in simple and succinct ways.

Lived a difficult life, he remained faithful to his aesthetic credo, and always followed the voice of the heart and the truth of life.