Hakob Kojoyan (; December 13, 1883 – April 24, 1959) was an

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n artist. He mostly worked in the genres of painting and applied art. Hakob Kojoyan assisted Armenian architect Alexander Tamanian in creating the coat of arms for the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia, was an independent History of Armenia, Armenian state that existed from May (28th ''de jure'', 30th ''de facto'') 1918 to 2 December 1920 in ...

Biography

Hakob Kojoyan was born in 1883 in Akhaltsikhe in the family of goldsmith. In 1890 his family moved to

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...

, where little Hakob attended the Craftsmen Secondary School. Meanwhile, he learned goldsmith craft at his father's workshop. During those years he was also involved in painting with the help of Ossetian painter Makharbek Tuganov. After graduating from high school, he left for

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 ...

to learn more jewelry skills where he studied at Prusov's jewelry studio. In 1903 Kojoyan left for

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. In

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, he studied at Hashbury Studio and later at the Academy of Fine Arts. The "Self-portrait" created by him during these years is distinguished by its drawing, generalized reproduction of forms and virtuoso coloring. Here we see a young, self-confident young man. Graduating from the academy, he left for Paris and lived there until 1909. In Europe, he not only explored the remarkable collections of the past, but also witnessed for the creation of new paintings that have a significant influence on him to become an artist. After returning to his native land he found out there unfavorable conditions for his creative work. By the beginning of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the artist went to the front. At the front he received the news of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, which brought great pain and anguish to the artist. In 1918 he left for Armenia. During those years, as an artist, he participated in the excavations of Ani and copied the frescoes of the Church of the Savior (13th century), exploring the national artistic principles of Ani's monuments. After the establishment of Soviet rule in Armenia in 1920 Kojoyan, along with several other Armenian artists, was involved in the art department of "Haykavrosta" and had created agitation-propagandistic

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

s, and so on according to the sample of the "ROSTA Window" (Moscow). In 1921 Kojoyan went to

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

, where the artist studied the culture of the ancient eastern country of Persia, and began to take an active part in the cultural life of the local Armenian community. Kojoyan gave lectures at the Art Studio organized by Alexander Tamanian. In 1922 he returned to the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

. During those years the cultural life in Yerevan was flourishing, the School of Fine Arts was founded by the Society of Fine Arts Workers of Armenia with its departments of painting, sculpture and applied arts. Artists were involved in the works of the Haypethrat, the State Theater and the press. In 1939 Kojoyan participated in a ten-day exhibition of Armenian art in

and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, meanwhile he received the title of People's Artist of the Republic. In 1945 with the endeavours of Ara Sargsyan, the Institute of Fine Arts was opened in Yerevan with the Faculty of Painting and Sculpture, where Kojoyan worked as a professor. In 1959 an exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the painter was opened in Yerevan (afterwards in

Tbilisi 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 ( ...

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, Moscow,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

). The exhibition was still on in Saint Petersburg, when Kojoyan suddenly fell ill and died in Yerevan. Secondary School of Fine Arts named after Kojoyan was opened in Yerevan in 1963. In 1973 the two-storey private residence of sculptor Ara Sargsyan and painter Hakob Kojoyan where they lived since 1934 started to operate as house-museum for 2 artists.Branches Hakob Kojoyan and Ara Sargsyan Memorial Museum
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References

External links

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kojoyan, Hakob 1883 births 1959 deaths 20th-century Armenian painters People from Akhaltsikhe People from Tiflis Governorate Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Armenian people from the Russian Empire Soviet Armenians Soviet painters