Ariel Agemian
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Ariel Agemian | |
|---|---|
Հարություն "Արիել" Ստեփանի Աճեմյան | |
| Born | 1904 |
| Died | 1963 (aged 58–59) |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Alma mater | Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia |
Haroutin "Ariel" Pascale Agemian (
in the United States.Life
Of Armenian descent, Agemian was originally from
Career in art
His artistic career started in France. During the period 1931 to 1938, his paintings were widely exhibited in Paris, Vienna, Venice, and Milan. He was primarily concerned with religious art and profane subjects. He began to paint prolifically after resigning as art professor at the College Moorat in
Agemian, who was a religious man, was still nourishing the seed of a priestly vocation. He also wanted to spend some time in America and study the American people for a series of tableaux on democracy. Thus his decision to spend several months in the United States. This move in 1938 signalled the start of a new era for the young artist. An art exhibit in 1939 in New York was described as one of the most extraordinary assemblages to be seen on art gallery row in a long time. Critics proclaimed that “the artist reveals a diversifying talent with the ability to deal with formal organization; a nice color sense; and a generally romantic approach”[2] and that he was "obviously trained in European traditions of sound craftsmanship".[3]
Shortly after Ariel Agemian emigrated to America, he set up a studio in New York City where he taught art to now famous artists, Erik Schmidt and Richard Mantia while he continued to paint. He perfected the use of pastels on construction and working with the dark to light concept with the Chiaroscuro effect. On black construction he used white chalk and brought life from the black background. Ariel married Maria Roxas in June, 1939. They had a son, Stefan, and a daughter, Annig.
In 1943 Agemian became an American citizen and began to work for Msgr. Joseph F. Stedman and then Msgr. Frey who were directors of the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, a publishing house for Catholic literature in Brooklyn, New York. Agemian painted over 500 illustrations. They are in the books, My Daily Psalms, Christ in the Gospel, The Imitation of Christ, My Meditation on the Gospel and My Mass. His reproduction of Christ, from the Shroud of Turin, is considered the most exact by experts in the scientific research field.[4] After coming to America, the artist's technique and subject matter noticeably changed to purely religious. Only a few portraits of dear friends were painted during the next twenty years. He sketched daily, lived somewhat the life of a recluse and his works were not displayed publicly again after 1939.
In 1958, Ariel Agemian was given the highest honor bestowed upon a layman by the
Agemian died on November 28, 1963 in New York City.[5]
Legacy
His legacy lives on in his works. There have been several showings in the
References
- ^ Morro, Clement (1934). "Ariel Adjemian" (PDF). La Revue Moderne. Paris. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- Morristown Daily Record. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- ^ Edmonds, Carol (December 1973). "Agemian Paintings Not Typical Local Display; Range is from Artificial Paradise to Ascension" (PDF). Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- ^ "Ariel Agemian (Knight of St. Gregory) 1904-1963". PeopleOfAr. 2011-12-09. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- ^ "Ariel Agemian, K.S.G". The Tablet. 5 December 1963. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Madonna and St. Gregory of Narek, Brooklyn Painter's Picture Hangs above Altar in Rome Church" (PDF). 1962-11-04. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
Further reading
- Agemian, Ariel (1958). My Mass Explained and Illustrated. New York: Confraternity of the Precious Blood. ASIN B001BSH4RM.
- "Ariel Agemian Exhibits". Arts Magazine. Vol. 13. 1938. pp. 15–16.