Gevorg Bashinjaghian (; – 4 October 1925) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

painter who had significant influence on Armenian

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

Life

Bashinjaghian was born to

parents on 16 September 1857 in a small town of Sighnaghi in eastern Georgian province of

Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...

, part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

at the time. His father, Zakar, died in 1872 during a trip to Persia, when he was 15. After finishing the local school, he was admitted to the Arts School. In 1878, Bashinjaghian moved to the Russian capital

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, where he became a student at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

a year later.

Mikhail Clodt Michael is a common masculine given name derived from the Hebrew phrase ''mī kāʼēl'', 'Who slike-El', in Aramaic: ܡܝܟܐܝܠ (''Mīkhāʼēl'' ). The theophoric name is often read as a rhetorical question – "Who slike he Hebrew Go ...

was one of his teachers. He graduated from the Academy in 1883, also winning a silver medal for his ''Birch Grove''. He returned to his hometown Sighnaghi the same year and soon started to travel throughout the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

Lake Sevan Lake Sevan () is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater Alpine lake, high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of abov ...

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

Ashtarak Ashtarak ( ) is a town in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, 20 kms northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the province and an i ...

and the holy capital of the

Armenian Church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

Ejmiatsin Vagharshapat ( ) is the 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is commonly known as Ejmiatsin ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and the

Northern Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

, which caused the artist to make a row of canvas of the local landscapes. During the next year, Bashinjaghian visited Italy and Switzerland, where he learnt about the classic European art and also saw the Alps. He later wrote that "the Alps are beautiful, but they cannot win your heart if you have seen the Caucasus." He returned to Russia and settled in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

, the largest city of the

and the cultural center of Armenians of Russia. In 1890s Bashinjaghian had exhibitions in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

and

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don (river), Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as the ...

. In 1897, he created a series of oil painting of

Ani Ani (; ; ) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armen ...

, the medieval Armenian capital of thousand churches. From 1899 to 1901, Bashinjaghian lived in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with his wife Ashkhen Katanian and their three children. In France, he made a trip throughout the country and produced over 30 paintings. In 1923 Bashinjaghian became a member of the Armenian Artists' Society. Bashinjaghian died on 4 October 1925 in

and was buried at the side of

Sayat-Nova Sayat-Nova (Armenian: Սայեաթ-Նովայ ( сlassical), Սայաթ-Նովա (reformed); ka, საიათნოვა; ; ; born Harutyun Sayatyan; 14 June 1712 – 22 September 1795) was an Armenian poet, musician and '' ashugh'', who ...

's tomb in the backyard of Saint George Cathedral. Exhibitions of Bashinjaghian's works were held in

and

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, many of them in 1957–1958, in memory of the 100th anniversary of his birth. A street in

is named after him.

Works

Bashinjaghian's best known works include ''

Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

Grove'' (1883), ''

Alazani The Alazani ( ) is a river that flows through the Caucasus. It is the main tributary of the Kura in eastern Georgia, and flows for . Part of its path forms the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan, before it meets the Kura at the Mingəçevir ...

Valley'' (1902), '' Ararat'' (1912). All are in the

National Gallery of Armenia The National Gallery of Armenia (, ) is the largest art museum in Armenia. Located on Yerevan's Republic Square, Yerevan, Republic Square, the museum has one of the most prominent locations in the Armenian capital. The NGA houses significant colle ...

in Yerevan. His other works are located in

Art Museum of Georgia The Art Museum of Georgia (AMG) ( ka, საქართველოს ხელოვნების მუზეუმი, ''sak'art'velos khelovnebis muzeumi''), alternatively known as Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the l ...

, Museum of Oriental Art (Moscow), and the

Tretyakov Gallery The State Tretyakov Gallery (; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world. The gallery's history starts in 1856 when the Muscovite merchant Pavel ...

in Moscow.

Gallery

File:Bashinjaghyan. Birch Grove.jpg, ''Birch Grove'' File:Bashindzhagian ararat.jpg, '' Ararat'' File:Bashinjagyan5.jpg, ''

Khachatur Abovian Khachatur Abovian (; disappeared ) was an Armenian polymath, educator, scientist, philosopher, writer, poet and an advocate of modernization.Panossian, p. 143. He mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was eventually presumed dead. Reputed as the fat ...

's house in

Kanaker Kanaker (; also Romanized as K’anak’err, Kenaker, Kanaker, and Qanaqer) was a village in Armenia to the north-east of the capital Yerevan. With the urban development of Yerevan in the 20th century, the village was gradually absorbed by the ca ...

'' File:Gevork Bashindzhagian. Armenian village at sunrise.jpg, ''Armenian Village at Sunrise'' File:Gevork Bashindzhagian. Landscape with pines, 1907.jpg, ''Landscape with Pines'' File:Башинджагян.jpg, Untitled landscape File:Г. Башинджагян. Камни на реке Алгетке.jpg, ''Stones in the '' File:Г. Башинджагян. Сельский вид, 1898.jpg, ''View in the Countryside'' File:G. Bashinjaghyan. Rainy day in Sevan.jpg, ''Rainy Day at

'' File:Башинджагян. Севан.jpg, ''Sunny Day at Lake Sevan''

References

External links

Башинджагян, Геворк Захарович
в Антикварный салон "Петербург" {{DEFAULTSORT:Bashinjaghian, Gevorg 1857 births 1925 deaths 19th-century Armenian painters 20th-century Armenian painters Painters from the Russian Empire Armenian people from the Russian Empire

Life

Works

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links