EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO HAKOB HOVNATANIAN’S 200th ANNIVERSARY OPENS AT NATIONAL LIBRARY OF ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Dec 26 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition dedicated to Hakob
Hovnatanian’s 200th anniversary opened on December 26 at the National
Library of Armenia. Articles about the painter published in press,
in magazines, as well as reproductions of his works are displayed at
the exhibition. In the words of Rima Hayrapetian, Head of Painting
and Cartographical Materials Department of National Library of
Armenia, Hovnatanians occupy a peculiar place in the history of
Armenian painting. In her words, over two centuries this family was
enriching the Armenian culture and left a certain trace in development
of national painting. R.Hayrapetian said that the painter’s first
teacher was his father with whom he illustrated some churches in
Tbilisi. But H.Hovnatanian’s talent was manifested in the sphere
of portrait-painting and it is not accidental that he was known as
"Tbilisi’s Rafael" in Tbilisi. In R.Hayrapetian’s words, the portraits
created by the painter that ravish the looker with both their inner
content and high technique can compete with the best samples of world
portrait-painting. It was also mentioned that according to some data,
H.Hovnatanian has created over 500 portraits, but only nearly 50 of
them have been preserved. Among the painter’s best works are portraits
of Nerses Ashtaraketsi, Shushanik Nadirian, Natalia Teumian. By the
way, N.Teumian’s portrait is also called "Armenian Gioconda."