Ashot Zorian
{{Short description|Egyptian Armenian painter (1905–1970)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ashot Zorian
| native_name = Աշոտ Զորյան
اشود زوريان
| native_name_lang = hy
| other_names = Ashod Zorian,
Ashot Zoryan,
Huseyin Zorian,
Hussein Zorian
| birth_date = 1905
| birth_place = Giresun, Ottoman Empire
| death_date = June 4, {{death year and age|1970|1905}}
| death_place = Cairo, Egypt
| education = Armenian National School,
Wiener Kunstschule Vienna,
Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma,
French Academy in Rome
| occupation = Painter, educator
| years_active =
| notable_works = “The Armenian Folkloric Dance Ensemble” (1966),
“The Cotton Pickers” (1968)
| movement = Fauvism
}}
Ashot Zorian ({{Langx|hy|Աշոտ Զորյան}}, {{Langx|ar|اشود زوريان}}; 1905–June 4, 1970){{Cite book |last=Պատկերասրահ |first=Հայաստանի Պետական |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qnNLAAAAMAAJ |title=Art Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan |date=1984 |publisher=Aurora Art Publishers |language=en}} was an Ottoman Empire-born Armenian Egyptian painter and educator. He was known for his Fauvist figure and still life paintings. He has many variations of his name in English and is also known as Ashot Zoryan, and Ashod Zorian.
Early life
Ashot Zorian was born in 1905 in the coastal town of Giresun, Ottoman Empire (now northeastern Turkey).{{Cite web |last=Yan |first=Nair |date=2016-10-27 |title=Ashod Zorian Paintings Donated to the Armenian National Gallery |url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2016/10/27/ashod-zorian-paintings-donated-to-the-armenian-national-gallery/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=The Armenian Mirror-Spectator |language=en-US}} Not much is known about his early years and family, his mother's name is unknown; and his father was Apig Zorian, a lawyer. In 1915, during the start of the Armenian genocide, his father was murdered.
His childhood was spent with his sister, living in exile in the mountain town of Şebinkarahisar.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Ակադեմիական ոճից մինչև ֆովիզմ… Աշոտ Զորյան (լուսանկարներ) |url=https://www.panorama.am/am/news/2013/11/05/a-zoryan/412465 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Panorama.am |language=hy}}{{Cite web |last= |title=Ashod Zorian (1905–1970) |url=https://agbuegypt.com/artist/ashod-zorian-1905-1970/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Egypt |language=en-US}} There are conflicting stories on exactly what happened in Şebinkarahisar, some say he was enslaved by a Turkish family, others read he was hired to work for a Kurdish family. His name was changed to Huseyin Zorian (or Hussein) during this time period.
In the 1920s he was sent to the Armenian Yesayan Orphanage in Istanbul. He was one of the Armenian orphans that were awarded a stipend to study abroad in Europe.
Education
He studied at the Armenian National School; Wiener Kunstschule (English: Vienna Art School) in Vienna;{{Cite web |title=- Աշոտ Զորյան |url=https://avproduction.am/?ln=am&page=person&id=4025 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=AVProduction.am |language=hy |archive-date=2020-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717080034/http://avproduction.am/?ln=am&page=person&id=4025 |url-status=dead }} Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma in Rome; and the French Academy in Rome inside Villa Medici. In Rome he studied under Umberto Coromaldi.
Career
In September 1929, Zorian moved to Alexandria, Egypt where his uncle was living. He participated in the annual salon exhibitions in Alexandria, and in Cairo, Egypt.{{Cite web |date=September 14, 2020 |title=Ashod Zorian (1905-1970) |url=http://fineartdatabase.org/ashod-zorian-1905-1970/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Fine Art Database |language=en-US}} In May 1932, he was awarded a bronze medal at the 3rd salon of Alexandria. In 1941, during World War II and after the Nazis bombed British military bases Alexandria; Zorian and his uncle fled to Cairo. His painting “The Resurrection of Christ” (1944) is located in an Armenian Orthodox Church in Cairo.
Zorian taught painting at the Boghosian Armenian National School (or Boghossian Armenian National School) in Alexandria, Egypt (1941); the Kalousdian Armenian National School at Boulaq in Cairo, Egypt (1941 to 1952); and in private lessons from his studio in Cairo, Egypt (1952 to 1968). His former students included Queen Farida of Egypt (in 1948), Edmond Kiraz,{{Cite web |last=Բախչինյան |first=Արծվի |date=2020-08-21 |title=ՈՉ ԵՎՍ Է ՓԱՐԻԶՈՒՀԻՆԵՐԻ ՀԱՅԱԶԳԻ ՆԿԱՐԻՉԸ |trans-title=No More Parisian Painters |url=https://azg.am/am/2020082111/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Ազգ |language=hy-AM}} Garo Varjabedian,{{Cite web |title=Varjabedian, Garo |url=http://www.lusarvest.org/practitioners/varjabedian-garo/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Database of Armenian photo-media practitioners}} Harmig Ballarian, Khadiga Riad,{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2011 |title=Riad, Khadiga or Khadija Riyad |url=https://www.oxfordartonline.com/benezit/display/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.001.0001/acref-9780199773787-e-00151862;jsessionid=C22512B7C39E02BEF5B0AFAE19001E53 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Benezit Dictionary of Artists |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00151862}} Nora Ipekian,{{Cite news |last=Driscoll Jr. |first=Edgar J. |date=1969-06-24 |title=It's art festival time – ballon sculptures, too |pages=49 |work=The Boston Globe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117831443/its-art-festival-time-ballon/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |issn=0743-1791}}{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-05-01 |title=Վախճանվեց տիկին Նորա Ազատյան-Իփեքյանը |trans-title=Mrs. Nora Azatyan-Ipekyan was Devastated |url=https://azg.am/news/վախճանվեց-տիկին-նորա-ազատյան-իփեքյան/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Ազգ |language=hy-AM}} Eliz Partam,{{Cite web |last= |title=Eliz Partam (1930–2007) |url=https://agbuegypt.com/artist/eliz-partam-1930-2007/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Egypt |language=en-US}} Joseph Egoyan,{{Cite web |last=Gregorian |first=Alin K. |date=2021-01-28 |title=Egoyan, Kouyoumdjian Pay Tribute to Gorky at Virtual Metropolitan Museum Event |url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2021/01/28/egoyan-kouyoumdjian-pay-tribute-to-gorky-at-virtual-metropolitan-museum-event/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=The Armenian Mirror-Spectator |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=June 18, 2019 |title=Joseph Egoyan Obituary (2019) - Victoria, BC |url=https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/timescolonist/name/joseph-egoyan-obituary?id=39706496 |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Legacy.com |publisher=The Victoria Times Colonist |issn=0839-427X}} Shushan Deuletian-Egoyan,{{Cite web |title=Shushan Egoyan Obituary (2022) - Victoria, BC |url=https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/timescolonist/name/shushan-egoyan-obituary?pid=201484352 |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Legacy.com |publisher=The Victoria Times Colonist}} Rose Papazian, Chant Avedissian, Vahé Varjabedian, Laila Ezzat, Mervat Refaat, and Herant Antranikian.
Zorian had been separated from his sisters when he was sent to the orphanage and they were able to reunite in the late 1960s in Worcester, Massachusetts. His sisters helped him prepare the legal paperwork in the Soviet Union in order to donate some 100+ paintings to the National Gallery of Armenia after his death.
He died on June 4, 1970, in Cairo.{{Cite web |title=Աշոտ Զորյան |url=https://zarkfoundation.com/library/%d5%a1%d5%b7%d5%b8%d5%bf-%d5%a6%d5%b8%d6%80%d5%b5%d5%a1%d5%b6/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Zark Foundation |language=hy}} His work is part of the collection at the National Gallery of Armenia.{{Cite web |title=Պարը` հայ նկարիչների աչքերով |url=https://www.vnews.am/culture/post/pary-hay-nkarichneri-achqervov |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=VNews |language=hy}}
Exhibitions
- 1929, Biennale of Circolo Artistico (English: Artistic Club), Rome, Italy
- 1929–after 1932, Annual Salon Exhibitions, Alexandria, Egypt
- After 1941–?, Annual Salon Exhibitions, Cairo, Egypt
- 1939, Galerie Grégoire, Alexandria, Egypt, solo show
- 1942, Hotel Continental, Cairo, Egypt, solo show
- 1944, Société Orientale de publicité, Cairo, Egypt, solo show
- 1948, Gallery A.D.A.M., Cairo, Egypt, solo show
- 1952, winter Salon of Paris, France
- 1955, 1st Alexandria Biennale, Alexandria, Egypt
- 1957, Alexandria Biennale, Alexandria, Egypt
- 1969, French Cultural Center, Cairo, Egypt, solo show
- 2009, Byuzand Gojamanyan’s 100th anniversary, El Hanager Art Center of Cairo Opera House, Cairo, Egypt, group exhibition{{Cite web |date=November 26, 2009 |title=An exhibition of Egyptian-Armenian art figures dedicated to renowned painter Byuzand Gojamanyan’s 100th anniversary |url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/583552/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Armenpress |language=en}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zorian, Ashod}}
Category:People from Şebinkarahisar
Category:Artists from Alexandria
Category:People from the Ottoman Empire of Armenian descent
Category:Egyptian people of Armenian descent