Yesterday an exhibition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of painter Gevorg Bashinjaghyan was opened in the National Gallery. Museums and private collectors have provided their paintings for the exhibition.
Gevorg Bashinjaghyan is the first Armenian painter, who painted the Mother Nature. The painter, who was born in one of the remote villages of Georgia, in Sghnakh, never lived in Armenia but traveled to the fatherland several times. As said by the granddaughter of the painter, Mrs. Gayane, "Bashinjaghyan has always painted roads. He was the first, who painted the nature of the fatherland and inspired love to nature. He protected the nature with his paintings. He delivers a great message to the ones, worried with ecological issues." Bashinjaghyan was fond of wandering in the forests of Trans Caucasus, mountainous roads and the sea shore by horse or phaeton. As Bashinjaghyan writes in his memoirs he often had to sleep in the open air, make a fire in the woods, lodged in shacks, was soaked in the rain as he loved to watch the nature at different moments. That is when the nature opens its secrets to the mankind. The other granddaughter of the painter Natella Bashinjaghyan, who lives in Moscow, said that her grandfather liked the dawn the most. "He was ready to stand in the woods for hours to watch how the sun rises. And he would get surprised every time," she says. People rarely meet in the paintings of Bashinjaghyan. We more often see the peaceful and moderate nature. He always tried to accurately portray the nature, he thoroughly drew the elements of nature and tried not to violate the realistic approach. RA Minister of Transport and Communication Andranik Manukyan, who has provided one of his paintings of Bashinjaghyan, which he has in his quite big Bashinjaghyan collection, said that received spiritual tranquility when he looks at the paintings. Bashinjaghyan confessed that he didn’t like the furious nature, which annoys the tranquility of people, instead of reflecting peace and harmony. In his paintings the peaceful and lyrical moods dominate. Having visited Europe and having met various impressionists he made a few attempts to draw in a new style, however later refused that. He had his own style, theme and poetry and stayed loyal to this all his life.
P.S. For the exhibition RA Minister of Transport and Communication Andranik Manukyan has provided one of his paintings of Bashinjaghyan, which he has in his quite big Bashinjaghyan collection.