Armenian art

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Armenian art is the art of the Armenians in the area they populate.

If you put a circle over Lake Van , Lake Sevan and Lake Urmia , you get the core area of ​​the Armenians. For a short time, Greater Armenia stretched from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea. The rough landscape of the Ararat highlands stands less for rich harvests than for metal extraction and processing. Mighty empires in Anatolia , Mesopotamia and Persis therefore competed for this area. And yet the Armenians managed to set lasting accents in the short periods of their heyday, especially in the areas of architecture and illumination .

Outer wall of the Church of the Holy Cross

Visual arts

Old Orient

Historical classification

Urartu

Around 860 BC The Urartians established a kingdom on Lake Van with the capital Tuschpa . Their language was Urartian , related to Hurrian . Around 640 BC They went under. Perhaps around this time the Armenians , coming from the Caucasus , infiltrated. Their language is a branch of Indo-European .

Art of this era

The legacy of the Urartians consists mainly of fortress structures in Cyclopean style , the models of which can probably be found in the Caucasus. They used the supporting pillar, which made sense in stone construction. Luxury metalworking goods are widely used in cabaret art. The style is Assyrian .

  • Fixed Erebuni

  • Rhyton with a figure dressed in Persian

What else can you see

Significant fortifications and sites can be found in

Antiquity

Armenia in ancient times

Historical classification

At the time of the Alexander migration , Armenia was the satrapy of the Achaemenids , and the region has had its current name since then. After the diadoch fights it belonged to the sphere of influence of the Seleucids . Their political and cultural center was in Syria . Armenia was on the outskirts and was a dependent kingdom. King Artaxias I (190–159 BC) was able to achieve a certain consolidation in Armenia. Artaxata was founded and expanded. The Romans continued this policy from the west, but Armenia from the east was caught by the Parthians . Rome never gained the clear upper hand in the Parthian Wars. With Trdat I the Parthians were able to establish the vassal dynasty of the Arsacids and defied the approval of Rome under Nero in AD 61. Under Trajan , Armenia became a Roman province (114).

Art of this era

During the Hellenistic period , autochthonous art is hard to expect in Armenia and has hardly been found. But the effects of the Hellenization were also limited. As a typical Hellenistic new foundation in 166 BC By Artaxias I. Artaxata is to be mentioned. It contained theaters and public baths based on the Hellenistic model.

The only temple in the Garni is from the first century AD . It is built in the Ionic order and consecrated to Mithras .

The minting of coins developed in Persian Asia Minor flourished in Hellenism. The Great Armenian Artaxids , mainly under Tigranes II , had coins with Greek inscription and the portrait of the ruler struck. After that this tradition fell asleep. It was not until the 11th year of the Armenian minority that coins were minted again, now with Armenian lettering and the obverse with Christian motifs.

  • Mithras Temple in Garni

  • Floor mosaic in the Garni bathhouse

  • Tigranes II.

What else can you see

Early Christian time

Historical classification

Early Christian art emerges in the transition phase from late antiquity to the Middle Ages. She uses ancient forms for Christian motifs. An independent Christian art can only develop when the faith can be safely exercised and the financial means are available, especially for sacred buildings . Milestones on the way are the Edict of Tolerance of Milan under Constantine I in 313 and the accession of Justinian I in 527. With Justinian's reign, the beginning of Byzantine art is generally set. The dates are mentioned because the Armenians claim with a certain pride that Trdat III. founded the Armenian Apostolic Church as a state church in 301 .

The lazy armistice between Rome and the Parthians did not bring peace to Armenia for long. The Sassanids ousted the Persian Arsacids , the feud between Rome and the Persians revived and finally ended in 387 with the partition of Armenia. The greater part ( Persarmenia ) with the capital Dvin went to the Sassanids. However, the clashes continued. The gradual exhaustion of the Sassanids helped the Armenians little, but opened the gate for the Arabs.

Art of this era

The found location of early Christian buildings is rather modest. None is completely preserved. On the basis of the remains, it can be cautiously formulated that the development that applied to Byzantium from the basilica to mixing with the central building to the cross-domed church proceeded similarly. Again with all restraint: The construction technique of connecting double-shell basalt walls with cast stone, which was not represented in Byzantium, was known to the Armenians as early as the Urartian times.

The early Christian buildings in Armenia are squat, rectangular buildings with belted barrel vaults . The technique of vault construction, which was already known in ancient times, was forgotten in the West, but has an unbroken tradition here. Dated remains can be found in the monastery church in Howhannawank and the church of St. Yiztbuzit in Dvin , (548-557). The best preserved building of this type is in Lernakert .

The simple long nave was followed by the three-aisled basilica. The basilica of Jereruk near Anipemza is the key building here. An Armenian peculiarity is that the three barrel vaults are crowned with a gable roof, so that the church has a single nave from the outside. An inscription by King Trdat narrows the date to the turn of the 4th to the 5th century.

What else can you see

middle Ages

Medieval art in Armenia had a strong impact on the art of many other countries. An important prerequisite for clarifying these multiple influences is the question of the roots of Armenian art. It was created at a time when, after the fall of the Roman Empire , many countries developed their own formal language. However, the artistic relationships between these countries are still largely unclear, as is their relationship with Byzantium . What this pro-Romanesque provincial culture has in common is a conscious reduction of ancient art, a dismantling of form, and a deliberate and conscious simplification. Compared to the highly civilized ancient culture in Christian disguise, which was cultivated in Rome, Constantinople and Ravenna and represented an extremely refined final phase, this so-called "barbaric imperial art of the marginal peoples" means a comprehensive new beginning, a fruitful progress and a creative style development. The conditions for the development of all of Armenia's medieval art are created during this period. The Transcaucasian countries play a particularly important role. On the eastern periphery of the early Christian world, an independent, outstanding art developed on the basis of ancient forms, with strong inclusion of own elements of national folk art as well as many borrowings from the neighboring Asian and Oriental cultures, in which pagan, Christian and Oriental ideas became one new own worldview merge. The influences of Armenian art extended to all early Christian countries, then everywhere the Armenians maintained lively relations.

Historical classification

The Arab storm reached Armenia in 640 with the conquest and destruction of Dvin . Another opportunity for the Armenians to choose between Scylla and Charybdis. The Arabs offered freedom of belief and preservation of the rights of the nobility in return for recognition of Islamic suzerainty. Byzantium offered arms aid against a change of denomination. As a result, Armenia belonged to the sphere of influence of the later Umayyads with a cultural focus on Damascus and the Abbasids who replaced them with their center in Baghdad .

In 885/886 Ashot I was able to reestablish an Armenian kingdom. In 961 Ani became the capital. The most famous representative of the Bagratid dynasty (885-1045) was Gagik I (989-1020). During this brief flowering, the Islamic world changed significantly.

The Abbasids came under pressure from the Fatimids in the south , a splendid Islamic culture developed in the Persis and the Seljuks , poor but belligerent, showed interest. At the end of their efforts, they won Mesopotamia and formed the empire of the Seljuks, whose most famous ruler was Alp Arslan .

Another branch of the family invaded Anatolia. After the Battle of Mantzikert in 1071, Byzantium could not prevent the further invasion and the establishment of the Sultanate of Rum in 1077 with the venerable Christian city of Nikäa as its capital.

The heartland of the Armenian princes was conquered and exiled nobles founded the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia with the capital Sis in Cilicia . Thanks to a perfect rocking policy with Byzantium, Rum and later the Crusaders , they were able to maintain their independence until 1375.

Art of this era

architecture

The typical construction of Armenia allowed until the dome back layer by layer without using a falsework to substantiate. This technique results in a stocky appearance that is slightly mitigated by a certain pursuit of height. The structure of the facade is restrained. The floor plan consists of a Greek cross with short legs or the central building with four apsidal extensions (tetrakonchos). The trikonchos has established itself elsewhere . The building was crowned with an often octagonal drum and dome. This was not shown on the outside, but provided with an octagonal, pyramidal roof. The altar stood close to the apse on the east wall, the entrance in the west wall. Choir screen or rood screen of the Latin church, iconostasis of the Orthodox cult were not developed in front of the altar wall, nor was the narthex at the western end.

The overall layout of the monastery buildings from the 9th century onwards does not follow a fixed scheme. However, they share a fortification wall and a free-standing main church with a vestibule ( Shamatun ), partly surrounded by other chapels. The functional buildings are unpretentious.

Classic period

The development towards the unmistakable Armenian architecture had its first high point

  • the Etchmiadzin Cathedral (495/496 in the older parts). Excavations uncovered traces from the fourth century. A fifth century Sassanid bowl was found under the altar . Today's Tetrakonchos can be traced back to Waham Mahikonian in the construction phase of 495/496. Probably a stone dome was one of them. The current dome dates from the 16th century and the bell tower was added in the 18th century.
  • Lmbatavank , small cross-domed church around 600 with the most important early Christian painting remains in Armenia
  • St. Hripsime in Echmiadzin was built in 618 by the Catholicos Komitas over an older building from the fourth century. built. The Tetrakonchos is fully developed. An attempt was made to soften the massive appearance of the walls with functionless niches.
  • St. Gayane in Etchmiadzin (630)
  • Zvartnots - Palace Church (641-661)
  • Talin - Great Church (end of the 7th century)

  • Etchmiadzin Cathedral

  • St. Hripsime in Etchmiadzin

  • St. Gayane in Etchmiadzin

  • Zvartnots Cathedral

  • Zvartnots detail

  • Zvartnots - reconstruction of the floor plan

Bagratids (885-1045)

The preliminary completion of the development of independent architecture fell in the time of the Bagratids with the Ani center . One of the main works outside of Ani is the Church of the Holy Cross in Akdamar on an island in Lake Van . All elements of the Armenian fine arts are preserved in it, albeit in a miserable condition.

The expansion of Ani is significantly influenced by the court architect Trdat . The Palace of the Catholicos and the Cathedral of Ani were executed by him. He achieved "international" fame when he was commissioned to restore Hagia Sophia in Byzantium , which was badly damaged in the 989 earthquake .

  • St. Gregory in Ani

  • City walls of Ani

  • The "Church of the Holy Cross".

Kingdom of Lesser Armenia (1080 to 1375)

The buildings of the capital Sis (Turkish Kozan) have been destroyed. The treasure of the Cathedral of St. Sophia was brought to Aleppo by the expelled monks of this city in 1915 and is now exhibited in the Cilicia Museum in Antelias (Lebanon).

Sculpture and painting

The sculpture served to structure the facade. First and foremost, donor figures should be mentioned. One of the most important objects, the representation of Gagik I , can be found on the west facade of the Church of the Holy Cross in Akdamar (915-921). The figure above the portal, embedded in a frieze that surrounds the entire building, was originally painted and is surrounded by rich ornamentation. The frontal stiff posture with emphasis on the clothing is iconographically reminiscent of Byzantium, the fine stone ornamentation of Islamic architecture.

A special Armenian form of stonemasonry is the Khachkar . These are steles that develop a rich, increasingly finer ornamentation around the main motif of the cross. Islamic influence is clearly visible.

There were no free-standing figurative sculptures.

  • Haghartsin Monastery

  • Makaravank - monastery

The early churches were already decorated with frescoes . Due to their unfavorable painting background, however, they have only been preserved as traces of paint. Early evidence that can be viewed includes the cherubim of Lmbat in St. Stepanos Church from the 7th century. The frescoes by Akdamar (921), which, like those of Lmbat, are said to have had Syrian influence, are also rich.

Those who have monasteries also have manuscripts. One of the most extensive collections in the world is located in the Mashtots Matenadaran Institute in Yerevan . Since 1997 it belongs to the World Documentary Heritage of UNESCO . One of the most important objects is the Etchmiadzin Gospel Book from 989. The manuscript on parchment was made in the Noravank Monastery , attachments date from 6/7. Centuries back. They represent the oldest surviving works of Armenian book illumination.

The development of the Armenian miniature is Byzantine, but also influenced by Syria. In general, courtly demanding and naively lively works can be distinguished. Basically they are more colorful and lively than the Byzantine products. Miniature painting reached its peak with T'oros Roslin (13th century) in Lesser Armenia.

  • Etchmiadzin Code of 989 (Matenadaran)

  • Book illumination

  • John's Manuscript of 1053 (Matenadaran)

What else can you see

  • Geghart - monastery

  • Haghartsin Monastery

  • Haghbat - monastery

  • Sanahin Library

  • Noravank Monastery

Modern times

One of the blessings of modern times is learning not to like each other. War does not end with the atrocities of the Soldateska and subsequent kowtowing of the dynast. Rather, internal resistance, as a result of displacement and genocide, can ensure that in some regions people live permanently in strife without formal war. For Transcaucasia , this means that with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Russia will come into play as a new hegemonic power. For the Armenians this means in the end that there is now a third dependent Armenia (Russian Armenia). After all, a structure is emerging with the Soviet republic that allows the Armenians to declare themselves independent in a defined state territory in 1991. It is disturbing that Armenia abandoned its role of notorious victim in the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh and was quite willing to use the means it had previously had to endure. As if that weren't enough, Armenia is also at odds with the Kurds, who, with Kurdistan, see large areas of Armenia as their core area.

Diaspora

Main article Armenians in Europe

Many people know an Armenian. He is not a problem case from the ghetto (although there is an Armenian quarter in Istanbul ), but he is educated and belongs to the middle class (apart from Gulbenkian ). The reason for this is that the Armenians who have fled or been expelled have established a network worldwide that makes them one of the most capable trading peoples. The parallel to the Jews is unmistakable, only that because of their Christian faith they could omit one or the other pogrom . But if pursued in the host country, the network was able to mitigate the worst consequences. Culturally, faith unites internally, because the Armenians are reluctant to assimilate with the Latin or Orthodox Church in their host country. The maintenance of the very old rite and its art has no external effect. To claim that the Armenian artists are referring to old roots seems a little intentional. The sic. Son of a merchant Aivazovsky , we can classify as a romantic, Arshile Gorky belonged to the Abstraction Création in Paris.

  • Armenian Cathedral in Lviv (Ukraine)

  • Aivazovsky: The ninth wave, 1850; St. Petersburg

Current situation

Famous contemporaries

literature

Main article: Armenian literature

The development of Armenian literature began with the collection of scriptures in the monasteries. The collection of collections is located in Matenadaran in Yerevan . It began with Mesrop's revision of the Armenian alphabet around AD 405 . The specialty was the translation into Armenian of the texts initially collected in Syria. For comparison, the Bible in Central Europe only came into the vernacular with Martin Luther . Historiography and sacred poetry developed independently at an early stage. Love poetry developed under Persian hegemony. The troubadour poetry that originated in Western Europe was received and cultivated until modern times ( Sayat Nova ). As a reaction to the Arab storm , the national epic The Devils of Sassun (Sasna Dsrer) developed, also known as David of Sassun .

The preservation of Armenian literature is largely thanks to the Mechitharists , who operated printing works in the diaspora in Venice and Vienna and also published writings on modern language in their academy. Literature has remained strongly patriotic up to the present day, but increasingly took up western influences and served all literary genres.

music

Duduk

The root of national music is the folk song. This can be traced back to ancient times for the Armenian people. The duduk is the national instrument . However, it is common under other names in the Middle East , especially the areas of the Ottoman Empire . Since 2005, the instrument has been on the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO .

Famous contemporary performers are Jiwan Gasparjan and Gevorg Dabaghyan . In the West, Peter Gabriel made the instrument known to a wider audience in the soundtrack of The Last Temptation and his album Us.

Music becomes a higher art form with notation . The desire for an orderly liturgy in Christian cultures provides the necessary drive for their development. If monks are cultural bearers, there is also writing. A notation (khaz) corresponding to the neumes can be traced back to the 9th century. The development in Lesser Armenia was completed. Unlike in the West, the folk song could in principle flow into church singing. Both were noted. Over the centuries the system became uncontrollable. Hampartsum Limonjian (1768–1839) reformed it to the so-called New Armenian Notation , but it remained a Neumatic system that is still valid today. Not only is it written down for the liturgy, folk songs are also collected in this way.

Arno Babadschanjan and Komitas Vardapet , simply Komitas in his homeland , stand for the adaptation of old music for modernity. The internationally famous Aram Chatschaturjan is also gladly used for this. Descending from Armenian parents in 1903, he grew up in Tbilisi , ( Georgia ), went to Moscow in 1922 and lived there until his death in 1978 as a much honored Soviet citizen. His grave is in Yerevan . Caucasian folklore has undoubtedly influenced his work, such as his most popular work, the saber dance from the ballet Gayaneh (1942), which is not missing in any request concert.

The music of the recently extremely successful metal band System of a Down , which has been extremely successful in recent times , is also considered to be influenced in part by Armenian folklore.

See also

literature

  • Propylaea Art History Vol. 3: Byzantium . Berlin 1968
  • Propylaea Art History Supplementary Volume 1: Late Antiquity and Early Christianity . Berlin 1977
  • Bezalel Narkiss (Ed.): Armenian Art. The fascinating collection of the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem . Belser, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3- - -3.
  • Jean-Michel Thierry: Armenian Art. Documentation of the art venues . Herder, Freiburg / B. 1988, ISBN 3-451-21141-6 .
  • Jean-Michel Thierry: Armenia in the Middle Ages . Schnell & Steiner publishing house, Regensburg 2001, ISBN 3- - -0
  • Christina Maranci: The Art of Armenia. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2018, ISBN 9780190269005 .

Web links

Commons : Armenian Art  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

General

Special