1997_10 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper October 1997

              October 1997
Hye Sharzhoom
5
REFLECTIONS, cont. from
Page 1
once stood before the fall of Communism allowed it to become one
ofthe first signs ofthe old regime to
be removed. Now near the former
site ofthe statue is an area containing 2,750 fountains in dedication of
the 2,750 years of Armenian history.
Many audience members at the
presentation may have been surprised to see so many changes in
Armenia. Downtown Yerevan is
now home to numerous modern
stores that so many of us here in the
United States take for granted. A
few of these include an Electrolux
store where Armenians can purchase modern electronic appliances,
a 24-hour flower shop, as well as
many new restaurants sporting
Western European and even American themes. Some of these restaurants include a pizza parlor, which
is one ofthe newest crazes in Armenia, and even a Chinese restaurant
not far from the Chinese Embassy.
Complete with modern, Western
architecture these restaurants provide Armenians with new meal alternatives that were previously unavailable.
Moving on through Yerevan,
Professor Der Mugrdechian took
us to some other sites in and around
the city. These included the statue
of Vardan Mamikonian as well as
some ofthe large shopping centers
and bazaars where one can fine
anything from carpets to automotive goods to pets being sold out of
Armenia: in Soviet times, approximately 80% of the population was
Barlow Der Mugrdechian left, with Bill Rice right, at the Areni Vineyard
the trunks of cars.
One of the largest construction projects currently underway
in Armenia is the building ofthe St.
Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
in Yerevan. This church which
will become the largest in Armenia
will cost no less than several million dollars to complete and is set
to be completed by June, 2001 when
Armenians from around the world
will converge upon the country to
join in the celebration ofthe 1700th
anniversary of Armenian
Christianization.
Few villages are now left in
urban. There is now a movement
for Armenians to return to their
agrarian ways. Aspart of this movement, the M.A.P. project allows
Fresno State representatives to work
closely with the Armenian people
to bring them up to speed in the area
of agriculture. There is also a big
movement in Armenia for women
to work in the home economy to
preserve food in order to get it to
the marketplace.
A visit to the earthquake zone
was a quick reminder of the catastrophic damage that resulted from
the earthquake of December 7,
UNESCO Chair of Armenian Art History at
Yerevan State University Completes First Year
By Barlow Der Mugrdechian
The UNESCO Chair of Armenian Art History completed its first
year at Yerevan State University in
the Spring 1997 semester. Bishop
Garegin Hovsepian had established
a Chair of Armenian Art and Archaeology at Yerevan State University in 1919 during the period of
the First Republic of Armenia. Af
file Program in the 1996-1997 academic year. Twenty-eight students
enrolled in the first year courses-
23 women and 5 men. Ten faculty
join Professor Chookaszian in the
Program. AS one enters the newly
renovated UNESCO Armenian Art
office, one sees the beauty of Armenian art decorating the walls.
Yerevan State University is moving towards the four-year bacca-
The first class of the Yerevan
Department. Professor Levon
ter the establishment of Soviet rule,
the Chair was closed, mostprobably
because the religious content ofthe
art ran counter to Soviet ideology.
So, for nearly seventy years, there
was no program in Armenian Art at
Yerevan State University.
Starting from scratch, Professor Levon Chookaszian reopened
State University Armenian Art History
Chookaszian, left, is the Director.
ology, language, painting and drawing, and art in general, as well as the
history of Armenian coins were
offered. Two foreign languages are
required as well as two years of
Classical Greek and Classical Armenian.
Students have a difficult schedule of classes, Monday through Saturday, for a total of 36 hours of
class a week.
The
UNESCO
Chair of Armenian Art is being partially
funded by a
grant from
UNESCO
which will run
through 2001.
The University
pays the salaries
of the faculty
and the
UNESCO grant
pays for a small
amount of
books and
equipment.
"The study
of Armenian art
is important for
the University,"
s a y s
Chookaszian,
laureate degree and away from the
previous five-year system.
During the first year courses
such as Art of th? Ancient World,
Early Armenian Art, Pagan and
Early Christian Art, and Introduction to Armenian Art History were
taught. In addition basics of architecture and Byzantine art, archae-
"It brings a much needed knowledge of culture to the University."
As more and more specialists
become involved with the
UNESCO Chair, experts will be
prepared for study abroad. Exchange programs with foreign universities are also in the works.
1988. 500,000 people were left
homeless creating what is the largest social problem in Armenia
today. While
mostofthedam-
age was sustained in the
northeastern region of Armenia,
destruction remains in many of
these areas today. Many ofthe
survivors were
forced to live in
train cars and
shacks while they
waited for the fulfillment of
Mikhail
Gorbachev's
promise to rebuild
all lost housing in
two years. But with the fall of
Communism so fell the hopes ofthe
Armenians. A few new housing
developments have been constructed, however, a blockade by
Azerbaijan and Turkey has prevented necessary raw materials from
entering Armenia.
With the fall of Communism
many factories in the entire country
closed. Today no factory in Armenia has more than 10% of its work
force in action. A visit to the Martyrs Monument is discouraging in
the sense that because ofthe blockade, not enough natural gas is avail
able to keep the eternal flame lit.
Included in the presentation
was a visit to the newest cemetery
in Armenia, a sad reminder ofthe
lives lost over the struggle for
Karabagh. Not far from Karmir
Blur, Armenia's most ancient excavation site dating from the 8th
century B.C., women tend the
graves of their loved ones washing
them down and burning incense.
12,000 to 15,000 Armenians died
in the battles over Karabagh representing roughly 10% ofthe population of the entire region. As a
result, Karabagh has suffered isolation from the world. Despite a
cease-fire in 1994, the men buried
here, many of whom were in their
early twenties serve as a living
reminder to the Armenians of the
situation in Karabagh.
While many of us here in
Fresno celebrated the Blessing of
the Grapes at church picnics and
the like, Professor Der
Mugrdechian was fortunate enough
to be at the headquarters of the
Armenian church at Etchmiadzin
for the ceremony. By presenting
the audience with a glimpse into
the beauty of Armenia we see that
with the proper resources Armenia
could easily be one of the world's
most beautiful destinations. Professor Der Mugrdechian's "Reflections" on his summer spent in Armenia quickly turned into a wonderful experience that those in attendance will not soon forget.
Paintings of Ani at Exhibit in
Armenian National Gallery
National Art Gallery Director Shahen Khachaturian, center,
at the opening of the Ani Exhibit
By Barlow Der Mugrdechian
The exhibit "Ani in Armenian
Painting," which was dedicated to
the 1700th anniversary ofthe proclamation of Christianity as the National Religion of Armenia, opened
on August 20,1997 in the National
Gallery of Armenia, co-sponsored
by the State Museum of History of
Armenia.
His Holiness Karekin I,
Catholicos of All Armenians, was
present to bless the opening.
National Gallery Director
Shahen Khachaturian explained the
significance ofthe occasion and the
special reasons why Ani was chosen as the subject for the display.
"A thousand years ago, when
Ani was the beautiful and productive capital of Armenia, the residents of Armenia would say with
pride, "Ani-the City of a Thousand
and One Churches."
Many people painted the ruins
of Ani, but only one, the artist
Martiros Saryan, who had seen Ani
many times, said perhaps the most
characteristic statement about Ani,
"It is impossible to tell about Ani,
one must see it."
One must see Ani with their
own eyes, but today one can see
Ani through the works of artists
who have depicted her haunting
beauty.
Artist Arshag Fetvajian, faithfully depicted Ani through his water-colors and drawings. Vartkes
Sureniants painted Ani through his
view of Armenia, woven in green
and orange colors. Gevorg
Bashinchaghian used his poetic
brush to capture the lyric nature of
the city. Martiros Sarian saw Ani
for the first time in 1901, and it
seemed a dream or a fable to him.
The display of paintings and
current photos made for an expansive look at the once glorious city
of Ani.