Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

THE TRAGIC LIFE AND EXQUISITE ART OF GORKY

Wall Street Journal
39344557.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Feb 11 2010

London: The tale of the painter Arshile Gorky’s life (c. 1904-48) was
a tragedy. Fleeing the 1915 Armenian massacres, he arrived in America
in 1920 and falsely reinvented himself as the cousin of the Russian
writer, Maxim Gorky. In 120 paintings and works on paper, Tate Modern’s
"Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective" tracks the rise and premature fall
of a great artist. The exhibition is the first major one in Europe
for 20 years, and the most moving show I have seen in a long time.

TATE Arshile Gorky’s ‘Waterfall’ (1943) .

There is an entire room of the flat, large portraits for which this
Abstract Expressionist is, paradoxically, best known. These include two
versions of the 9-year-old, dark-eyed boy with the head-scarf-wearing,
blankly staring woman, "The Artist and his Mother," that use his
characteristic palette of chocolate brown, petrol blue, Chinese orange,
and pink-mauve.

But as he was finishing these in the late 1930s and ’40s he was also
making his exquisitely complicated drawings and painting abstract
biomorphic forms, sometimes hard-edged, sometimes rendered with
thinned washes of paint. Some of them look as though he’s spread a
veil of color over the picture plane and cut shapes in it, through
which are revealed the odd things going on underneath. Strange,
that a single artist was painting these accomplished realist works
and such radical abstracts at the same time.

Until May 3

.There was a brief blissful period — starting in 1941 with his
marriage to Agnes Magruder ("Mougouch") and then the birth of his two
daughters — when he flirted with Surrealism but worked outside, in
the landscape. The epitome of this is the Tate’s own 1943 masterpiece,
"Waterfall."

But in 1948, this giant personality was overwhelmed by cancer,
clinical depression and serious injuries in a car crash; and with a
scrawled note "Goodbye My Loveds," Gorky hanged himself.

–Paul Levy

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN CONGRATULATES VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH

Aysor
Feb 12 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has sent to Viktor Yanukovych a
message, congratulating him on winning Ukraine’s presidential election.

"We believe here in Armenia — the country, where we never lose sight
of Armenia-Ukraine friendship and hold it in respect, — that the
further development of Armenia-Ukraine cooperation is a necessity,"
said in Serzh Sargsyan’s letter released by Presidential Press Office.

"I sincerely believe in importance of joint activities in good of
strengthening of relations between our countries, giving them new
quality by means of trust and mutual respect and cooperation in fields
of global regional issues."

SARGSYAN READY TO RETURN THE FREED TERRITORIES: SEFILYAN

Tert.am
16:31 11.02.10

"Nave individuals can be left with such an impression that the
president made a good speech in London," said Sardarapat initiative
member Jirayr Sefilyan at a press conference today, referring to RA
President Serzh Sargsyan’s speech yesterday in London’s Chatham House.

"Yesterday Serzh hinted publicly at the Turkish side that he is ready
to return the freed regions," said Sefilyan.

According to Sefilyan, the president spoke only about the Nagorno
Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAR) – and that means that the Armenian
side cannot concede NKAR.

"If there is no mention about the rest [of the territories], it means
we are ready to concede the rest," he said.

Sefilyan also said that a NKAR without freed regions would be
nonsense. In his opinion, if Sargsyan actually follows through on
"returning" the rest of the territories, that will be the end of his
political career.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SEISMIC PROTECTION SERVICE OF ARMENIA: LOWERING OF THE WATER LEVEL IN LAKE SEVAN MAY CAUSE EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS

ArmInfo
2010-02-11 22:31:00

ArmInfo. Lowering of the water level in Lake Sevan theoretically
may cause earthquake shocks, said Alvaro Antonyan, Director of
the National Seismic Protection Service of Armenia, during today’s
press-conference. He added that Armenian seismologists are currently
considering this probability.

According to the chief seismologist of the republic, if an earthquake
is "prepared", i.e. if big underground energy has accumulated and
reached a critical point, an earthquake shock may occur in case of
additional pressure. "As the surface of Lake Sevan is large enough,
lowering of the water level considerably changes the force of pressure,
which may result in a quake",- said Antonyan. He added that warm
weather does not provoke earthquake shocks as earthquake focuses in
Armenia are situated in depth.

TURKISH PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO SARGSYAN’S LETTER

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.02.2010 16:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul sent a reply to his
Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to explain Ankara’s position on
regional issues and express willingness to normalize relations with
Armenia, Zaman reported.

On February 9, President Sargsyan sent the following letter to Mr. Gul:

"Our initiative aimed at normalization of bilateral relations
holds attention of the international community. This is a historic
moment for all, indeed. The efforts the countries engaged in regional
processes exert to help improvement of Armenian-Turkish relations are
indispensable. I am confident that it wouldn’t be possible to move
forward without their support. At the same time, I believe no matter
how interested friendly states might be in a positive resolution of
the impasse, there are certain things that can be done only by our
two nations.

Mr. President,

I hope you will agree that the Armenian and Turkish peoples assign the
main task of getting rid of the stereotypes regarding each other and
establishment of the atmosphere of mutual trust to their respective
governments. We can achieve results only if there is trust, resolve and
unfaltering stance. A situation when words are not supported by deeds
gives rise to mistrust and skepticism, providing ample opportunities
to counteract for those, who oppose the process. We should be mindful
of the fact that in this particular case, the time is working not
for but against the process.

If until now we have been able to bring our bilateral relations up to
a level which made the prospects of building normal relations between
our two countries more tangible and discernible, now the time has
come to manifest determination to make next major step and leave to
the coming generations a stable and secure region."

ZORIY BALAYAN AWARDED WITH ST. MESROP MASHTOTS MEDAL

Aysor
Feb 10 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has signed a decree on awarding
Zoriy Balayan with the St. Mesrop Mashtots Medal on the occasion of
writer’s 75th birth anniversary.

"You are widely known in Armenia as a very principled journalist and
publicist whose masterly pen for decades has set to the most important
to our country and people issues. You always bring to light topical
subjects and proposed solutions.

"The struggle for the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
has become a significant period in Armenian history and for you. This
struggle was marked by your tireless work. Your publications of that
period are chronicles of the Artsakh War for Liberation.

"You, your being a strong and dynamic person and public figure, as
well as your living through your nation’s pain and problems, your
devotion and bravery that you showed during ling voyages on Kilikia
and Armenia ships, are very dear to me.

"I wish you good health and every happiness in your life," said in
President Sargsyan’s message.

TWO FACULTY TO GIVE LECTURES AT SPIRIT ROOM

US Fed News
February 9, 2010 Tuesday 12:53 PM EST

FARGO, N.D., Feb. 8 — North Dakota State University issued the
following news release:

Kris Groberg and John Cox will give presentations as part of the
Spirit Room’s February Armenian lecture series. The lectures are
complements to the exhibit "God-Given: Cultural Treasures of Armenia."

Groberg, assistant professor of visual arts, will present "Reading
Norik: Iconography as Art" on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. She
will focus on the tradition of Repousse decoration as seen in Eastern
European hand-crafted art in icons and gospel books, an old tradition
in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Slavic world.

Cox, chair of history, philosophy and religious studies, will present
"Armenia’s Place in the Caucasus and the World," on Thursday, Feb. 25,
at 7:30 p.m. He will provide a basic introduction to Armenian history
from the beginnings of Armenian civilization, through the period of
its early conversion to Christianity, up to its independent statehood
and geo-political situation today. He will discuss the centuries of
interactions with the Ottoman Turks, the Russians and the various
peoples of the USSR. Cox also will pose a few of the big contested
questions from Armenian history and offer a few thoughts on patterns
in Armenian’s cultural and historical record.

The Spirit Room is located at 111 Broadway, Fargo. For more
information, call 237-0230.For more information please contact:
Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- [email protected]

ARMENIAN COMPANIES’ SHARE IN IT DECREASED BY 38%

news.am
Feb 9 2010
Armenia

Share of Armenian companies decreased by 38% in IT sphere. At the
same time, average revenue per company for locals increased by nearly
25% and only by 9% for the foreign branches, Enterprise Incubator
Foundation (EIF) report reads.

In 2009, the turnover of Armenian software and services sector reached
around $130m resulting in 27% CAGR in 1998-2009. This turnover figure
constitutes 1.1% of Armenia’s $11.9 bn nominal GDP in 2008. It is
close to the share of IT sector in GDP for such countries as India
(1.4%) and Germany (1.3%)

In 2006-2009, industry showed compound annual growth of 24%.

Industry’s contribution to the total exports rose from 3.6% in 2003
to 5.6% in 2009 proving the growing importance of the software sector
for Armenia’s landlocked economy focused on the expansion of export
oriented businesses.

33 largest companies (with turnover $1m and over) comprising 17% of
all IT firms generating 60% of all industry revenue. Today, there are
13 more companies with revenue ranging $1m and over compared to 2006.

Number of small firms with less than $100,000 in revenue also increased
by 4%, although these firms do not have any visible impact on the
industry. Rising operating costs and low effectiveness of small
companies make it highly difficult for companies with less than 10
employees to operate in the long term.

PRESS RELEASE
JOINT STATEMENT
Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Contact: John De Trana
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

February 9, 2010

MEETING WITH SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON POSTPONED

President Sargsyan Urges Turkey to Honor its Commitments

Washington, DC – with a blizzard that blanketed Washington, DC over
the weekend, and more snow predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday,
today’s meeting scheduled with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), the Armenian General
Benevolent Union (AGBU), the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), the Diocese of the Armenian Church (Western), the Knights
of Vartan, and the Armenian National Committee of America, has been
postponed, announced the Assembly and AGBU.

Meanwhile, today, Armenia’s President, Serzh Sargsyan in a message to
his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul urged Turkey to honor its
commitments stating that "now the time has come to manifest
determination to make [the] next major step and leave to the coming
generations a stable and secure region."

The Assembly and AGBU welcome President Sargsyan’s renewed call to
Turkey and view the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton as an opportunity to discuss steps in which the U.S. can take
to ensure that Turkey lift its blockade and normalize relations with
Armenia without preconditions. Considering Turkey’s behavior, the
timing is even more appropriate for the United States to reaffirm its
record of Genocide acknowledgement and honor President Obama’s
commitment that "America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about
the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides." The
House of Representatives is set to consider the Armenian Genocide
Resolution in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 4, and with
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s support, the Senate should advance
the resolution as well.

Late last week, unfortunately, a specious editorial by the Armenian
Weekly, about the upcoming meeting with Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, not only misrepresented the facts, but unfortunately sowed
seeds of division instead of presenting a united front. While the
State Department had asked for discussions to consider expanding the
meeting to include four more slots, the Armenian Assembly of America
and the Armenian National Committee of America/Armenian Revolutionary
Federation could not reach consensus on who those additional
participants should be or several other matters. To date, the Armenian
National Committee of America has not even confirmed whether it will
attend or not, regardless of the ultimate configuration of the meeting
participants, and has also declined to meet at the Embassy of the
Republic of Armenia with all the groups invited prior to the meeting
with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The AGBU and Assembly want to be clear: "We would welcome the
participation of additional independent voices in the meeting, but do
not support the attempt by a political party to enhance its agenda to
politicize the process and further polarize the community. Those
initially invited are the organizations which had voiced their
position at the initiation of the issue of the Protocols and represent
a large cross-section of our community. In addition, we should all
agree on a common agenda in advance to present a unified front during
such a meeting, and avoid the type of posturing and lack of respect
with the Secretary of State as displayed during the community meeting
with President Sargsyan in New York City last October."

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America ()
is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting
public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is
a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

THE RECONCILIATION PROCESS HAS SLOWED DOWN BUT IS NOT DEADLOCKED

Aysor
Feb 8 2010
Armenia

Turkey is playing for time in Armenian – Turkish reconciliation
process, said Director of Institute of Oriental Studies at Armenian
National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan. He also added that it
is rather early to speak about the deadlock in the process.

"Turkey seems to make its trade with the USA more objective", –
the speaker said adding that during the upcoming two months the
Turkish side will undertake some distinct stepswhich come from the
normalization of the Armenian – Turkish relations.

"There is a possibility that in these months the commission of foreign
affairs of Turkey will start discussing the protocols", – said R.

Safrastyan.

The reconciliation process has slowed down but is not deadlocked. It’s
Turkey’s turn to move", – he noted.