EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO 100th ANNIVERSARY OF FRENCH ARMENIAN PAINTER ZAREH MUTAFIAN TO OPEN IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
Oct 18 2007
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition dedicated to the 100th
anniversary of the French Armenian painter Zareh Mutafian (1907-1980)
will open at the National Picture Gallery of Armenia on October 19. Art
critic Shahen Khachatrian said at the October 18 press conference
that the exhibition will display about 40 paintings by Z. Mutafian,
17 of which have been brought from France by his son, historian
Armen-Claude Mutafian. In his words, the exhibition is a reflection
of Z. Mutafian’s human feelings, dreams of a man who lost his homeland.
According to S. Khachatrian, the painting style of Zareh Mutafian is
close to impressionism and speaks in warm and sonorous colors. Drawing
and color are linked in his paintings. Although Z. Mutafian created
works of various genres, landscape paintings prevail. "Bravely
mixing colors, the painter’s brush gives an inner fluttering to the
surroundings full of vegetation," the art critic noted.
Z. Mutafian was one of the first Diasporan Armenian artists to be
invited to Armenia in 1967 and organize a personal exhibition in his
house. According to S. Khachatrian, the first meeting of the painter
with native land inspired an inexpressible creative energy. "With great
inspiration, he created native landscape paintings: mountains covered
with snow, monasteries on hills," he said, adding that these works
were feelings of his infinite love for the homeland found once again.
Z. Mutafian created more than a thousand canvases and held dozens of
exhibitions in Paris, New York and other cities.