Stepanos Nersissian (; 1807 – 23 March 1884) was an Armenian painter, primarily known for his portraits of historical figures.

Life and works

He was born 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 ...

. From 1840 to 1842 he attended the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg where he studied with Alexander Sauerweid and Alexander Varnek; becoming exposed to the ideas of many of the upcoming intellectuals of that time, including Gabriel Sundukian and

Ivan Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (; ) was a Russian Romantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters of marine art. Baptized as Hovhannes Aivazian, he was born into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia in Crime ...

. From 1846 to 1865, with some breaks, he taught painting at schools in Tbilisi and

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

. During these years, he came to specialize in portraits and landscapes. His painting ''Holiday on the Banks of the Kura River'' (1860) is considered to be the starting point of a new period in Armenian art. Many of his early portraits show the influence of the

Hovnatanian The Hovnatanyan family (, ''Hovnat'anyanner'') was a prominent Armenian family of painters. They include five generations from 17th to 19th centuries. Hovnatanyans are originally from the village of Shorot, Yernjak district in Nakhichevan (now ...

s, a prominent family of miniaturist painters. Later portraits, beginning with that of General Vasili Bebutov (1857), and culminating with those of

Mesrop Mashtots Mesrop Mashtots (; , ' 362February 17, 440 AD) was an Armenians, Armenian Linguistics, linguist, composer, Christian theology, theologian, Politician, statesman, and Hymnology, hymnologist. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic C ...

and Sahak Parthev (both 1882), connect early 19th century Armenian painting with developments of the second half. Many of his surviving works are maintained 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 ...

(HAP). They may also be seen at the Art Museum of Georgia and the

State Museum of Oriental Art The State Museum of Oriental Art () is one of the biggest cultural institutions in the world for preservation, research, and display of Oriental art. The museum was founded in 1918 as a part of soviet programme to support unique cultures of USSR ...

.''Who's Who? Armenians'', Vol.2, Yerevan, 2007 ։

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nersissian, Stepanos 1807 births 1884 deaths 19th-century Armenian painters Armenian portrait painters Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Artists from Yerevan Armenian people from the Russian Empire Painters from the Russian Empire

Life and works

References

Further reading

External links