A MONUMENTAL PAINTING TO CELEBRATE THE STRENGTH, HISTORY AND CULTURAL VITALITY OF THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE

On the 100th anniversary of the first major genocide of the 20th century, Chicago-based artist Jackie Kazarian created a painting of monumental scale to commemorate the victims and survivors of 1915, to honor the strength and resilience of the Armenian people , and to inspire others to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.

The Armenian Genocide left 1.5 million Armenians dead, caused millions more to flee their ancestral homeland and all but eliminated a 3,000 year old culture. Entitled Armenia (Hayasdan), the painting focuses less on the horrors of the Armenian Genocide, but instead celebrates the richness of the Armenian culture that was almost lost. The painting portrays a vast landscape of images and text drawn from Armenian art, church architecture, photography, illuminated manuscripts and historic maps, all united by a background of Armenian needle lace.

Armenia (Hayasdan), references another significant historic painting, Guernica, Pablo Picasso’s anguished response to the aerial bombing of a defenseless civilian population in the Spanish town of Guernica in 1937. The painting is the same size as Guernica, 11.5 by 25.5 feet.