Lot 358: Hagop Hagopian (b. 1923)

Hagop Hagopian (b. 1923)
The Awakening
signed in Armenian and dated 'H. Hagopian 95' (lower right)
oil on canvas
28¾ x 39¼ in. (73 x 99.7 cm.)

Born in Egypt in 1923 to Armenian parents, Hagopian studied painting at the Grande Chaumière Academy of Arts in Paris and developed a career as a genre scene painter in Egypt. Hagopian's deep appreciation for Armenian culture spurred his decision to move to Armenia at the age of forty, where he soon began to focus on landscape painting. The present work, like many of the artist's Armenian landscapes, is characterized by a clear line, subtle palette, and emptiness of space. Another Armenian artist, Martiros Sarian, commented that 'In Hagopian's paintings everything looks so desolate. But the artist's soul is rich. He knows how to communicate with nature and how to enthuse his spectator.'