My Tangible Links October 7, 2010

Legendary Armenian still life painter Hagop Hagopian expresses universal human emotions and shows love for his country!

Legendary 87 year-old Armenian artist Hagop Hagopian opens his solo exhibition “My Tangible Links” with a reception on Thursday, October 7 (6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) at Leonardo Galleries in Yorkville; the showcase will run to October 27, 2010.

States Hagopian, “An artist can be influenced by another artist’s style or working techniques, however, he/she can never adopt other artist’s spirit.”

Hagopian’s paintings are explicit in theme and subject matter, closely related to deeply felt personal experiences, executed with an extraordinary control and discipline of the medium. In recent works, he has embraced drawing animate mannequins and statues (made out of tools that he recently created) to shed light on the diversity of human emotion within relationships. Being devoid of cultural and individual detail, these ‘characters’ embody universality and pave a new course in understanding human experiences.

Hagopian’s works are based on the harmony between the object and artist’s innermost feelings, which result in a unique pictorial language and artistic personality that makes him one of the most interesting painters of today. Even if there is no literal human existence in his landscapes or still life, references to human existence is quietly abundant and always tangible.

Currently living in Yerevan, Hagop Hagopian was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1923 the second child of Armenian parents. He attended the Institute of Fine Arts in Cairo and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, and also studied at the studio of renowned French painter Andre Lhote. Later, he settled in Armenia with his wife and two children. “I had always been conscious of my spiritual links with Armenia, and I had always wanted to make them tangible, as it were, so as to be in close contact with my country and her people,” Hagopian explains.

From 1944 until present day, Hagopian has exhibited his works extensively in cities throughout the globe including Cairo, Yerevan, Paris, Prague, New York, Beirut, Bologna, Kiev, Moscow, London and Toronto.

For more exhibit information visit; www.leonardogalleries.com.

As a member of the Yorkville Art Galleries Collective, Leonardo Galleries participates in the free monthly Yorkville Art Gallery Walk, which is held the first Thursday of each month and coincides with exhibition openings.

Leonardo Galleries, Toronto is devoted to the promotion of contemporary art. The gallery represents local and international artists from established and emerging categories and has a significant collection of works of art in painting, print-media, sculpture and photography. Leonardo Galleries also specializes in conservation framing and expert art restoration.

Official Website: http://www.leonardogalleries.com