Vachagan Narazyan Exhibition Catalog 2019

Vachagan Narazyan Mirage

| Solo Exhibition

Vachagan Narazyan Mirage Solo Exhibition | June 28 - July 4 2019

On the Cover: Scene No.7 oil 13.75x15.75 in.

Left: (detail) Jester oil 25.5x21.5 in.

Meyer Gallery 225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com

Vachagan Narazyan’s art captivates our hearts with the creation of his own mysterious, intriguing yet classical world on canvas. His paintings are hauntingly beautiful, whimsical and surreal, with provocative symbolic undertones.

The works of this “dissident artist” are among the most evocative to come out of the Non-conformist movement of the former Soviet Union. His poetic and visionary style is simply magical. His subjects are widely diverse, often juxtaposing “Old World” images with “New Age” elements.

Vachagan Narazyan was a major part of the non-conformist art movement of the Soviet Union. He was trained to paint in the classical traditional Social Realism style. Vachagan wanted to paint from his heart, soul and imagination. He disagreed with the Soviet dogma and the conformist ideals of the Stalinist. Following his beliefs he joined the Non- Conformist art movement. This movement consisted of a group of artists who painted in the Non-Traditional style, which was illegal under Soviet rule. Stalinist ideals dictate all art needs to depict everyday people working hard and being happy. The paintings also had to be painted in realistic, representational form. Stalinist ideals are against anything imaginary or controversial and against the status quo. Painting in the Non-Conformist style under Soviet rule, Vachagan put his life and his family’s lives in jeopardy. His work first arrived in the United States smuggled by Dr. Norton Dodge. Dr. Dodge worked for the United States inside the USSR. He was the first person to bring the Non- Conformist to the free world. He owns over 10,000 paintings of the Non-Conformist including 50 of Vachagan’s oils. A large portion of the collection was displayed at the Zimmerlie museum in New Brunswick, NJ in 1995.

"I am pleased that the viewers ask me about the work. I think it's important for the artist to see the impact of his work, the reaction of the viewer. No matter where you are in the world, the love for art transcends language," he said through an interpreter in a recent trip to the United States.

Born in 1957 in Kislovodsk, Russia, Narazyan lost his parents as a young boy and went to live with his grandparents. His latest works are a direct reflection of the images he experienced when the circus came to visit his town. While the images are true in their depiction, the years that have passed and his feelings at the time he created each piece has a direct effect on the finished work.

They are full of symbolic encoding where reality is faintly visible in the form of profoundly personal experience of spiritual perception. Using tempera along with oil the painter depicts complicated artistic surface full of vibrating shades-the surface that reacts to any move in the artist's thoughts or dreams.

A Curtain oil 19.5x15.5

Russian-born artist Vachagan Narazyan’s surreal, enchanting oil paintings for “Mirage” reflect the artist’s distant childhood memories of the Russian “shapito” circus, which take on a romantic, sometimes wistful feel in his current work. As a boy, Narazyan was fascinated by the shapito performers’ freeing and nomadic lifestyle, decadent dress and magical air. This wonderment is now the basis of his work, which is layered with more complex emotions and symbolic undertones.

Jester oil 25.5x21.5 in.

Three People oil 12x9.75 in.

"The memories of my childhood and the circus coming to my town are exciting and joyous," says Narazyan. "But now, reflecting back and in my work, they seem to be melancholy and quite sad.

They are very reflective of the way I remember the people of the circus looking."

Vertical Movement oil 7.5x19.5 in.

In Narazyan's paintings, energetic figures emerge from misty blue washes as if appearing in a dream. Soaring through the air, dancing together or existing quietly behind masks or blindfolds, the characters have an elusive yet appealing energy to them that is instantly engaging. While Narazyan’s palette is soft and dreamy, the vivid colors and patterns of the circus shine through, resulting in unique compositions that walk the line between fantasy and reality.

Carnival oil 17.5x11.75 in.

Between Heaven and Earth oil 38.5x51 in.

Hidden Landscape oil 36x42 in.

For “Mirage,” Narazyan introduces new perspectives through illusory landscapes that contain minimal figures and panoramic views. Other paintings reveal faraway, bird’s eye views of the circus for an even more elusive and abstract feel, such as “Those Who Fill the Landscape” and “Mirage.” “I try to leave room for interpretation by the viewer, to give them the space to draw their own conclusions from the imagery and the setting,” says Narazyan of his elusive imagery.

Mirage oil 47x51 in.

“I try to leave room for interpretation by the viewer, to give them the space to draw their own conclusions from the imagery and the setting.�

-Vachagan Narazyan

Illusory Landscape oil 27.5x29.5 in.

Access To The Sea oil 23.75x19.75 in.

Other paintings offer a closer vantage point, with characters that fill the space with interactive postures and expressive movement. "In some of them, (the faces) are a reflection of my feelings at the moment, in relationship to the people that are or were part of my life," says Narazyan of his figures. "The paintings couldn't have been as they are if the faces weren't as expressive and yet subdued."

Clown oil 31.25x33.25 in.

Those Who Fill The Landscape I oil 39x35 in.

Vachagan Narazyan

Mirage

A Curtain

19.5x15.5

$7,200

Access To The Sea

23.75x19.75

$9,200

Between Heaven and Earth

38.5x51

Carnival

17.5x11.75

$6,200

Clown

31.25x33.25

$15,100

Hidden Landscape

36x42

$21,800

Illusory Landscape

27.5x29.5

$12,600

Jester

25.5x21.5

$11,800

Mirage

47x51

$24,00

Scene No.7

13.75x15.75

$6,300

Those Who Fill The Landscape I

39x35

$21,800

Those Who Fill The Landscape II

21.5x27.5

$12,200

Three People

12x9.75

$5,100

Vertcle Movement

17.5x19.5

$7,400

Dimensions Listed In Inches

$23,300

Vachagan Narazyan

Those Who Fill The Landscape II oil 21.5x27.5 in.

Mirage

June 28 - July 4, 2019

Opening Reception Friday, June 28, 5-7 PM

225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com