Gorky's art educates, inspires students and their teachers

Published: Tuesday November 24, 2009

Fifth and sixth grade students from the Armenian Sisters Academy, Radnor, Pa., visited the Arshile Gorky exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibit runs through January 10, 2010.

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Philadelphia - An in-depth encounter with the art of Arshile Gorky was no ordinary field trip for the Radnor, Pa.-based Armenian Sisters Academy. The pride of seeing their culture celebrated by a mainstream American institution was part of the learning experience for students and faculty alike.

As part of the Academy's Armenian Cultural Day program, students in grades 4 through 8, accompanied by Principal Sister V. Louisa Kassarjian, art teacher Armen Yepoyan, and eight other faculty members, received a private tour of the ongoing exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Junior-level students (seventh and eighth-graders) spent 90 minutes with museum guide Nancy Hovnanian, who went into greater detail on Gorky's work. Mrs. Hovnanian said she was impressed with the children's questions, general knowledge, and interest.

Music teacher Maroush Paneyan-Nigon, who accompanied the students, also noted how well they had been prepared for the trip. "Mr. Yepoyan should be commended for the way he provides opportunities for the students to learn about and to appreciate so many different styles of art. The children seemed to truly enjoy the exhibit," she commented.

"For the last several weeks leading up to the exhibition, our students have been learning about Arshile Gorky's life and art in the classroom. They eagerly awaited this field trip to see the marvelous original works in this retrospective for themselves. It was wonderful to see our students being inspired by the colors, shapes, masterstrokes, and history behind each series of work," stated Mr. Yepoyan.

"Clearly they now have a much better understanding and appreciation of what this Armenian Genocide survivor brought to the world of art and how he led the Abstract Expressionist movement in the United States in the 1940s," he added. 

Students gained insight into Gorky's various stages of painting and learned how his tragic personal life affected his artwork.

"Gorky's art is remarkable in his use of texture. His artwork displayed specific moods; when he used grey, it reflected sad times in his life," seventh-grader Julie Arthin explained.  "I respect him more as an artist now that I better understand his background."

Added classmate Alex Ayrapetian, "My experience at the Arshile Gorky exhibit was great because it opened my mind. I thought his work was just scribbles until it was explained to me and I grew to understand his genius."

Gorky's use of color and texture fascinated students, as did the various stages of his career.

Evan Mazmanian, a seventh-grader, said, "I loved seeing a famous Armenian being shown in a museum and that our nationality lives on. My favorite piece is ‘Organization' because it has many different curves, straight lines and abstract shapes. I like how Gorky expresses his feelings and what's going on in his life. For example, after the fire in his studio, he would paint with red and black to represent the fire and ashes.

"It's wonderful that America recognized and acknowledged his talent," Evan continued. "I like him a lot because he is deep and interpreted many things into his art which he lived for."