Arshile Gorky: Tragic Hero of the Armenian Genocide

Arshile Gorky, 1904-1948 recognized as one of the greatest American painters Expressionist in style; art conveys emotion and intensity survivor of Armenian genocide a “tragic hero” (?) of art history

Gorky’s real name was… Vosdanig Adoian why might he have changed his name?

“The Artist and His Mother” (c. 1926-1942) Arshile Gorky “The Artist and His Mother” (c. 1926-1942)

“The Artist and His Mother” What objects do you see? Where are they placed? What colours are they? What do you notice about the lines, shading, perspective and facial expressions? Other Questions?

Group Interpretation What do you think the painting means? What do you think this painting tells us about Arshile Gorky? Does the painting give you any clues about why he might have changed his name?

Brainstorm about: Meaning/Message? Clues about who Gorky is/sees his world? Why he changed his name?

Arshile Gorky Background Adoian born in Khorkom on shore of Lake Van in Eastern Turkey childhood dominated by nature, folklore and Christianity father left family for America in 1910 to avoid the draft

Gorky’s Ordeal June 1915: family forced on a death march 150 miles north to the border of Russian Armenia July 1915: reaches the city of Yerevan - lived on the brink of starvation; Gorky takes odd jobs 1919: Gorky 14 years old; beloved mother died of starvation in his arms Feb. 1920: Gorky and sister flee to New York

Gorky (16-years old) reunited with father but they never became close haunted for the rest of his life by the ghosts of his lost homeland (Armenia) tormented by how to make sense of his Armenian origins (“Who/What am I?”) Adoian reinvents his identity, changes his name to "Arshile Gorky" (pen name of a Russian writer)

How do you see the painting now that you know about Gorky’s Life?

Bio continued separation from father causes Gorky to feel abandoned and estranged from him for the rest of his life used this 1912 photograph to sketch and paint his “Artist and His Mother” between 1926-1942

“The palette is dominated by warm rose and terracotta “The palette is dominated by warm rose and terracotta. The loose, dry brushwork and the structuring of the composition through broad areas of color rather than lines dematerialize the figures and lend the painting an ethereal quality…

Despite their proximity and shared coloring—the pink of the mother’s jumper is echoed in the boy’s sleeves, and the ochre of his coat is repeated on her upper arms— the figures appear disconnected. The boy stands somewhat behind his mother, almost dissolving into the background, his feet turned slightly away from her. She slumps a little to the side, away from him. Their arms seem to touch despite their different positions in space. The figures’ undefined hands suggest the impossibility of their making contact…” 

The features of both are greatly simplified and masklike, but while the boy’s face—with its dark flesh tones, evident brushwork, and deep-set eyes—situates him in the land of the living, the mother’s face is bloodless. Her chalky complexion and expressionless gaze, framed by the halo-like headscarf, suggest that she inhabits an idealized, eternal realm. Gorky heightened this feeling by scraping and polishing the layers of paint in the area of her face until they acquired an ivory smoothness.”

Discovery as an Artist lived and studied Art in Boston and in New York married and had two daughters despite being well-known and respected among artists in New York, he suffered great financial strife

Later Years 1946: studio burned down, taking with it many of the paintings, drawings, and books diagnosed with cancer wife had an affair and left him involved in a car accident; fractured back and neck hanged himself from the rafters of a barn on July 21, 1948 A Tragic Hero? How? “Agony”

Arshile Gorky