Martiros Saryan (; ; – 5 May 1972) 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 Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, People's Artist of the USSR (1960), member of the USSR Academy of Fine Arts (1947), president of the Artists' Union of Soviet Armenia (1945-1951), the founder of a modern Armenian national school of painting. Born in

Nakhichevan-on-Don __NOTOC__ Nakhichevan-on-Don (, ''Naxičevan’-na-Donu''), also known as New Nakhichevan (, ''Nor Naxiĵevan''; as opposed to the "old" Nakhichevan), was an Armenian-populated town near Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia founded in 1779 by Armen ...

, Saryan attended the local school and graduated from the New Nakhichevan Russian-Armenian College. His works were mainly inspired by his travels to Armenia and the Middle East. Saryan permanently moved to Armenia after the establishment of ASSR. His works were exhibited in Moscow, Venice, Yerevan, Paris, Brussels and other cities. Saryan is also famous for his work in theater, especially his set and costume designs for many prominent plays and operas such as "Almast," "Davit Bek," and so on. During his time in the Armenian State Theater, he painted his well-known landscape "Armenia" and numerous portraits of Armenian actors, artists, and writers. He was one of the members of the art association ‘ The Four Arts’, which existed in Moscow and Leningrad in 1924-1931.

Biography

Personal Life

Saryan was born into an Armenian family in

(now part of

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

), where Armenians from Crimea lived. He was the seventh child of Sargis Saryan and Ustian Chiligaryan. He received early education from his eldest brother, Hovhannes Saryan, who taught him Armenian and Russian writing and basic math. Saryan spent his childhood in his father's

khutor A khutor ( ; rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir (, ) is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single- homestead settlement. House of Martiros Sarian 2020-cropped

During one of his travels in Tbilisi, he met his future wife, Lusik Aghayan, the daughter of famous Armenian writer Ghazaros Aghayan. He immediately fell in love with her and married her a year later, on April 17, 1916. Together they had two sons, Sargis Saryan and Ghazaros Saryan. Lusik is said to have been Saryan's one and only romantic partner. Saryan died in

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 ...

on 5 May 1972. His former home in Yerevan is now a museum dedicated to his work with hundreds of items on display. He was buried in Yerevan at the Pantheon next to

Komitas Vardapet Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas (; 22 October 1935), was an Ottoman-Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of musi ...

. His son Ghazaros (Lazarus) Saryan was a composer and educator. His great-granddaughter Mariam Petrosyan is also a painter, as well as a cartoonist and award-winning novelist.

Travels and Inspirations

Saryan's artistic journey evolved as he began traveling extensively. He first visited

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 ...

, then 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 ...

, in 1901, visiting Lori, Shirak,

Echmiadzin 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 ...

Haghpat Haghpat () is a village in the Lori Province of Armenia, located near the city of Alaverdi and the state border with Georgia. The village is notable for Haghpat Monastery, a medieval monastery complex founded in the 10th century, and included i ...

, Sanahin,

and Sevan. Saryan started his artistic research aiming for an inspiration from his homeland, which he was seeing for the first time. In 1903, after he graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, he traveled to Armenia again, visiting Ani,

Goshavank Goshavank (; meaning "Monastery of Gosh"; previously known as Nor Getik) is a 12–13th-century Armenian monastery located in the village of Gosh, Armenia, Gosh in the Tavush Province of Armenia. The monastery which has remained in relatively goo ...

, Sanahin, and Gharakilisa (now

Vanadzor Vanadzor (, ) is an urban municipal community and the third largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the city h ...

), before also traveling to Georgia. His engagement with Armenian intellectuals deepened over the years. In January 1909, while in Moscow, he met prominent Armenian thinkers Vahan Teryan, Aleksandr Tsaturyan,

Levon Shant Levon Shant (; born Levon Nahashbedian, then changed to Levon Seghposian; 6 April 1869 – 29 November 1951) was an Armenian playwright, novelist, poet and founder of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society. Biography He was ...

, and Derenik Demirchyan, further shaping his artistic and intellectual pursuits. Martiros Saryan Egypt 1911

From 1910 to 1913 he traveled extensively in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. In 1910, he went to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(current

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) and lived with an Armenian family in Bera (current

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

). There, he met writers Daniel Varuzhan and

Siamanto Adom Yarjanian (), better known by his pen name Siamanto (; 15 August 1878 – August 1915), was an influential Armenian writer, poet and national figure from the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was killed by the Ottoman authoritie ...

. In 1911, he went to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

(Egypt) and spent time in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

, Memphis, and

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

. In 1913, he spent time in Iran, visiting Bandar-e-Anzeli,

Rasht Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...

Qazvin Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...

and

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. After returning to Moscow, he opened "The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Armenian Monuments," which worried about issues around the reconstruction of Echmiadzin Cathedral . In 1915, he went to

again to help refugees who had fled from 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 ...

in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. In 1916, when he traveled to Tbilisi and met his wife, he also helped organize the Society of Armenian Artists. Following the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

seizure of power in 1917, he went with his family to live in

. From 1926 to 1928 he lived and worked 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 ...

, but most works from this period were destroyed in a fire on board the boat on which he returned to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. From 1928 until his death, Saryan lived in Soviet Armenia. With traveling and being inspired by the places and people he met, Saryan created around 4000 artworks in his lifetime.

Education and Career

Saryan studied at the New Nakhichevan Russian-Armenian College for six years, completing his education there in 1895 at the age of 15. From 1897 to 1904 he studied at the

Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (), also known by the acronym MUZHVZ, was one of the largest educational institutions in Russia. The school was formed by the 1865 merger of a private art college, established in Moscow ...

, including in the workshops of

Valentin Serov Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (; – 5 December 1911) was a Russian painter and one of the premier portrait artists of his era. Life and work Youth and education Serov was born in Saint Petersburg, son of the Russian composer and music crit ...

and

Konstantin Korovin Konstantin (Constantin) Alekseyevich Korovin (; 11 September 1939) was a leading Russian Impressionist painter. Biography Youth and education Konstantin was born into a wealthy merchant family of Old Believers

. During this period he actively exhibited his works in various shows, including the

Blue Rose A blue rose is a flower of the genus ''Rosa'' (family Rosaceae) that presents blue-to-violet pigmentation instead of the more common red, white, or yellow, through use of artificial means such as dyes. Blue roses are often used to symbolize myst ...

Exhibit in Moscow. He was heavily influenced by the works of French artists

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

and

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

, who also drew their inspiration from the East. He composed his first landscapes depicting Armenia: '' Makravank'', 1902; ''Aragats'', 1902; ''Buffalo. Sevan'', 1903; ''Evening in the Garden'', 1903; ''In the Armenian village'', 1903, etc., which were highly praised in the Moscow press. Proposal for the Flag of Armenia 1919 Martiros Saryan

Proposal for the Flag of Armenia 1919 Martiros Saryan

Following the

seizure of power in 1917, he went with his family to live in

. Saryan permanently moves to Armenia after the establishment of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. While most of his work reflected the Armenian landscape, he also designed the coat of arms for 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 ...

and designed the curtain for the first Armenian state theatre. After its establishment, the first Armenian State Theater (now known as the Sundukyan State Academic Theatre) needed a designer and artist-advisor. Saryan, who had previously assisted with the theater's interior design, accepted the position after an invite and officially joined the staff. During his tenure, Saryan also created the first emblem of the state theater. He also made a proposal for the flag of this independent Armenia based on the colors and designs of traditional Armenian fabrics and carpets, although his design was rejected. In the 1930s, during Stalin's

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

, many Soviet intellectuals were considered "enemies of the state." Many of Saryan's works, including portraits of famous Armenian writers and artists, were taken from 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 ...

and burned. However, one of the works that was supposed to be destroyed was in a different museum and survived. That work was the portrait of

Yeghishe Charents Yeghishe Charents (; , 1897 – November 27, 1937) was an Armenian poet, writer and public activist. Charents' literary subject matter ranged from his experiences in the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and frequently Armenia and Arme ...

, an Armenian poet, writer, and public activist. During those years, he mainly devoted himself again to landscape and portrait painting. He was also chosen as a deputy to the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

and was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

three times along with other awards and medals. He was a member of the USSR Art Academy (1974) and

Armenian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) (, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri azgayin akademia'') is the Armenian national academy, functioning as the primary body that conducts research and coordinates acti ...

(1956). In 1939, Saryan designed the set and costumes for " Almast" by

Alexander Spendiaryan Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiarov (, November 1, 1871, Kakhovka, Russian Empire – May 7, 1928, Yerevan, Armenia) was a Russian composer and conductor of Armenian descent, founder of Armenian national symphonic music. Biography Alexander S ...

, the first opera staged in Armenia. Starting in 1916, Spendiaryan, Saryan, and Armenian writer

Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan (, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, q ...

began to work on the opera. Tumanyan inspired Spendiaryan to create the opera based on his poem "The Capture of Fort Tmuk." Saryan agreed to design the entire set, decorations, and costumes for it. In around 80 years of creative career, Saryan worked with different genres as a painter, graphic artist, book illustrator, theater set, and monument panel designer.

Gallery

File:By the Well. Hot Day, 1908.jpg, By the Well. Hot Day (1908) File:Египетские маски.jpeg, Egyptian Masks. (1911) File:Martiros Sarian Paintings 2005 Postal Card.jpg, Armenia. (1923) File:By the Sea. Sphinx.jpg, By the Sea. Sphinx (1908) File:Summer Heat - Running Dog, 1909.jpg, Running Dog. (1909) File:5,000 Armenian dram - 1999 (reverse).png, The reverse of the 1999 5000 Dram banknote bears a Lori landscape painting by Saryan File:20,000 Armenian dram - 1999 (reverse).png, The reverse of the 1999 20000 Dram banknote shows Saryan's ''Armenia'' painting File:Saryan OldYerevan.jpg, Old Yerevan, 1928 by Saryan on Soviet stamp of 1980 File:Martiros Saryan, Still Life with Bananas, 1911.jpg, Still Life with Bananas. (1911) File:Martiros Saryan, Portrait of M. D. Manucharyan, 1912.jpg, Portrait of M. D. Manucharyan. (1912) File:Martiros Saryan, Armenian Woman, Playing Tar, 1915.jpg, Armenian Woman, Playing Tar. (1915) File:Martiros Saryan, Portrait of Hovsep Mantashyan, 1915.jpg, Portrait of Hovsep Mantashyan. (1915) File:Martiros Saryan, Asiatic Flowers, 1915.jpg, Asiatic Flowers. (1915) File:Martiros Saryan, Portrait of the poet Alexander Tsaturyan, 1915.jpg, Portrait of the Poet Alexander Tsaturyan. (1915) File:Martiros Saryan, Turkish woman and Egyptian woman, 1910.jpg, Turkish Woman and Egyptian Woman. (1910) File:Portrait of Aram Khachaturian (Saryan), 1944.jpg, Portrait of Aram Khachaturian. (1944)

References

External links

Martiros Sarian House-Museum

About Martiros Sarian House-Museum

M. Saryan: Biography, Gallery

M. Saryan in ''The Color of Armenian Land''

Saryan, Minas, Parajanov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saryan, Martiros 1880 births 1972 deaths 20th-century Armenian painters 20th-century Russian male artists 20th-century Russian painters Artists from Rostov-on-Don Full Members of the USSR Academy of Arts Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni Second convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Third convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Heroes of Socialist Labour People's Artists of the USSR (visual arts) Recipients of the Lenin Prize Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Socialist realist artists Armenian still life painters Ethnic Armenian painters Orientalist painters Russian people of Armenian descent 20th-century Russian illustrators 20th-century Armenian illustrators Russian male painters Armenian portrait painters Russian portrait painters Russian scenic designers Russian watercolorists Soviet illustrators Soviet painters Soviet scenic designers Burials at the Komitas Pantheon Mir iskusstva artists Russian costume designers