Abovyan in art

 

The Fine Arts: poetry, music and painting had always accompanied Abovyan during his lifetime. Besides being pleasure and enjoyment, the Fine Arts had been the way of social education for Abovyan. 

Elucidation of the Abovyan’s innermost image via art still remains favourite and includable theme of the Armenian classical as well as modern composers, playwrights and sculptors.

Kh. Abovyan’s dramatic works are of great interest in the Armenian classical literature. In the middle of the 19th century Abovyan was the first in the Armenian reality to evaluate the role of theatre not only in the matter of  enlightment and intellectual development of the Armenian people but make a contribution to development of the national dramaturgy. There are three plays written by Abovyan: ‘Performance for chlidren’, ‘Theodora or filial love’, ‘Adelaide von Woulfingen’. Abovyan’s plays are of great value with thier ideas and art character. Two of Abovyan’s plays: ‘Performance for chlidren’ and ‘Theodora or filial love’ were staged several times.

In 1860  the dramatization ‘Aghasi’ written by Perch Proshyan according to the novel ‘Wounds of Armenia’ was staged many years. Later on a new  dramatization of  the novel ‘Wounds of Armenia’ under the name ‘Aslan-Balasi’ by Sardaryan-Arevshatyan was in the repertoire of the Armenian professional company of actors for several decades.

 The image of the great Armenian enlightener was also put on the stage of the Soviet theatre for many times. 

Cinematographic art also touched upon the theme of Abovyan. The screenwriter Victor Balayan and the producer Suren Arakelyan shot a short documentary film devoted to Abovyan. 

In 1977 the Armenian animated cartoon shot a animation film ‘Hunters’ by motifs of Abovyan’s tales.

 

Musical culture was of great interest to Abovyan from youthful time. It is known that in Abovyan’s diaries mentioned that he was an chorister and musical culture was one of the favourite arts for Abovyan. 

In connection with the Khachatur Abovyan’s hundredth anniversary of death  the Armenian composers created a number of songs, romances and choral songs.

 

The image of Abovyan was one of the beloved themes of the Armenian fine arts. His image was created still in Derpt in 1831 by Ludwig Von Meidel. In 1838 Abovyan’s heirs delivered the great patriot’s portrait to Museum of Literature and Art after Eghishe Charents.

In 1913 in Paris the sculptor Andreas Ter-Marukyan created the statue of Abovyan. The bronze statue of Abovyan offers the best and perhaps the only image that could create the pre-Soviet Armenian sculpture art. Abovyan was first among the Armenian writers to have a statue. Atfer long wanderings in 1964 the Abovyan’s statue  found its last mooring in the area of the house-museum.

The image of the great enlightener and writer found its new interpretation in the Soviet painting. In 1941 national artist Martiros Saryan painted two portraites of Abovyan. At the same time artist M. Abeghyan painted the composition ‘Abovyan in villagers company’. The interesting events of Khachatur Abovyan’s life had become an creation theme for a number of painters: B. Melikyan, E. Isabekyan, H. Rukhikyan, Khorenyan and others. 

 

In 1946 a monument created by Honoured Art Worker Ara Sargsyan was erected in the area of the Kh. Abovyan house-museum.