Mr. Khachatrian’s childhood and young years were spent in Armenia: in the Ararat Valley in particular. This, naturally, became his source of inspiration, leading him to explore the history and ancient traditions of the Armenian people. In 1991, he enjoyed his first personal exhibition in St. Petersburg, which brought him recognition.
His paintings have powerful emotional appeal, being rich, generous and brightly coloured. Working across various genres, from still-life works of fruits and flowers, to self-portraits and those of relatives, and landscapes with Armenian motifs, he finds new paths of expression, inspired by his native land. Mountains, houses and churches are rendered vividly, in tones of green and red.
The current exhibition is retrospective, showing us the evolution of his style. His earliest works, Self-Portrait with a White Bandage (1979) and Still-life with Bananas (1980), are followed by Monastery Geghard and From Century to Century (both 1993). Meanwhile, Angels (2002), Watermelons (2008), Triptych (2010), Nature: a Female Figure (2010), Shadow of History (2011), Lyric: Melody of the Soul (2011), Magic Music (2013), and Nature of Music (2013) are from his later years.
Most recently, Ashot has achieved wider recognition, gaining a number of exhibitions, including fifteen personal. His works are held by the Museum of St. Echmiadzin, in Armenia, by the Museum of Yerevan city, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg, and by the Shandong Wen Tsai Museum of Painting in China, as well as being evident in private collections around the world.
МТ’S REFERENCE:
Ashot Khachatrian was born in the Armenian city of Hoktemberyn (now Armavir) in 1954. In 1973, he graduated from Yerevan’s School of Decorative-and-Applied Arts. In 1977, after two years of study at the Department of Painting, at the Abovyan Yerevan State Pedagogical Institute, he moved to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Between 1978 and 1981, he studied at the Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In 1992, he joined the St. Petersburg Union of Artists and, since 1993, has been a member of the Painting Bureau. Since 2002, Khachatrian has been a member of the St. Petersburg League of Professional Artists.
By Veniamin Mikheev
