(Nakhichevan-on-Don 1880–1972 Erevan)
Armenian landscape with cypress trees, signed (in Armenian) M. Saryan, dated 1921, mixed technique incl. tempera on paper, mounted on cardboard, 70 x 89.5 cm, framed, (K)

Provenance:
According to the owner, this painting has been bought in Berlin in the Galerie Natan Fedorowski in 1989.
Private Ownership, Berlin

STATE RUSSIAN MUSEUM
Inzhenernaya ul., 4, St. Petersburg, 191186
Tel: (812) 595-42-40
Fax: (812) 314-41-53
E-mail: info@rusmuseum.ru

www.rusmuseum.ru

Ref. No. 1799/12 dated August 6, 2010.

In response to your letter dated July 5, 2010, we report that we carried out a series of tests as part of our study of the painting „Cypresses“ (paper on cardboard, mixed media; 70 x 89.5 cm, inscription at the bottom right: ?. Saryan, 1921; there is a signature in the same place in Armenian script). […]
We can confirm the attribution of M.S. Saryan to this piece as the result of the stylistic and scientific study. The signature and date on the painting provide no reason to doubt the authenticity. The artistic materials and signs of aging in the painting match the date given: 1921. The painting technique, color palette, tempera techniques, and the nature of the overlaid strokes are all characteristic of this artist. The landscape that forms the subject of the painting is typical of the master. It was painted with confidence and skill, almost „alla prima“, but the upper part of the canvas was repainted. The sky has been redone on multiple occasions.
Martiros Sergeyevich Saryan (1880-1972) was a famous painter, graphic artist, and muralist. He did a lot of work for the theater and was a teacher. From 1897 to 1904 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, including in the workshops of Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin. Beginning in 1900 he showed his works at various exhibitions, including at the „Blue Rose“ (1907), the „Golden Fleece“ salon (1908-1909) and the „World of Art“ (1913-1915). He was a member of the following artistic organizations: Union of Russian Artists (1910-1911), „Four Arts“ (1925-1929), „Moscow Association of Artists,“ and „Association of Fine Arts Workers“ (Yerevan, 1920). Saryan was recognized as a People‘s Artist of Armenia (1926) and People‘s Artist of the USSR (1960).
M. Saryan was an artist of broad and diverse creative talents. But landscapes were always one of his main genres, in addition to portraits. Images of nature and the beautiful features of the Armenian landscape captivated him starting in 1901, when he first came to Yerevan, all the way through his old age. Either decorative or intimate-lyrical preludes dominate his perception of nature depending on the year. However, eventually his landscapes became more heroic and monumental as well as artificially generalized. The main motif of many of Saryan‘s landscapes was a wide panorama of a valley with a chain of mountains in the distance and, as a rule, the majestic Mount Aragats in the middle ground.
A comparison with other representative works of Saryan from the 1920s from the collection of the State Russian Museum revealed that the artist‘s brushwork in the painting in question matches other pieces. The painting has a typical structural composition for landscapes of this time. It also shares such recognizable characteristics as including small figures and animals as well as their shadows. Saryan constantly depicted the surroundings of Mount Aragats during various years in his life, including in 1921 and 1922.
The landscape „Cypresses“ by the famous artist Martiros Saryan has artistic and collector value.

Academic consultants:
Lead Researcher, Department of Painting from the Second Half ofthe 19th – 21st Centuries [Signature] A. B. Lyubimova

Senior Researcher, Department of Painting from the Second Half of the 19th – 21st Centuries L. V. Shakirova

Head of the Department of Scientific Research [Signature] S. V. Sirro

Deputy Director of Scientific Research at the State Russian Museum E. N. Petrova

Expert Evaluation

based on the study of the painting, „Armenian Landscape,“ which was received with a claimed attribution to M. Saryan (paper on cardboard, mixed media; 70 x 89.5 cm;
inscription at the bottom right: „M. Saryan,“ signature below in Armenian script and the date: 1921).

We can confirm the attribution of M. Saryan to this piece as the result of a stylistic and scientific study. The signature and date on the painting provide no reason to doubt its authenticity. The artistic materials and signs of aging in the painting match the date given: 1921. The painting technique, color palette, tempera techniques, and the nature of the overlaid strokes are typical of this master.
Martiros Sergeyevich Saryan (1880-1972) was an artist of broad and diverse creative talents. But landscapes were always one of his main genres, in addition to portraits. He arrived in Armenia (Yerevan) in the fall of 1921 at the request of the Council of People’s Commissars of Armenia. During his first years of residence he actively participated in renewing the cultural life of the country. M.S. Saryan organized the Museum of Archeology, Ethnography, and Fine Art and acted as the first director of this institution. However, he continued to work extensively as an artist, focusing his attention on landscape painting. He constantly depicted the surroundings of Mount Aragats during various periods in his life, including from 1921 to 1922. M.S. Saryan participated in the first major exhibitions of Soviet artists abroad, including in 1922 in Berlin and in 1924 in Venice (XIV Biennale).
The work in question, which combines naturalistic impression, the pursuit of artistic compilation and concise form, has artistic and collector value.

Experts:
S. V. Rimskaya-Korsakova
A. Yu. Bogdanov S. V. Sirro

I have verified the signatures of the staff members of the State Russian Museum (S. V. Rimsakaya-Korsakova, A. Yu. Bogdanov and S. V. Sirro):

Human Resources Engineer M. Bindyukova

STATE RUSSIAN MUSEUM Inzhenernaya ul., 4, St. Petersburg, 191186
Tel: (812) 595-42-40
Fax: (812) 314-41-53
E-mail: info@rusmuseum.ru

www.rusmuseum.ru