Matevosyan is a painter of order and balanced segments of painting field, with receives all necessary vibrancy of atmosphere and vitality, so that his work is a successful union of gradual construction and direct approach. The landscapes themselves represent a discovery of picturesque corners of woods and clearing, a lonely tree or lake; they are realized in a quiet, but warm palette of refining correlations of tone merging with light to create a sense of space and to accentuate certain points of the expressed image. For Matevosyan, light is not merely a formal element of the painting, but also a component of meaning, giving importance to an image. Paying attention to the atmosphere is an important characteristic of Matevosyan’s painting; it determines a moment in the totality of a landscape impression, stemming from his connection with the loved locality. Penetrating a village or a city also springs from a similar emotion, because vegetation is intertwined with the streets and structures, nature is a part of the city, making even exact architecture mellow. Regular shapes of walls alternate with free shapes of leaves with creating deep shadows on the ground, on the facades and in the open sky, endow them all with an ethereal quality. Both melancholy and celebration (similar, sometimes) are noticeable in the painting, because surely, Matevosyan is emotionally attached to the beauty of the region. He is also attracted to the beauty of a woman, placed in the interior, often presented as a musician (playing violin, or cello), or simply given to us in her dignified pose. Somewhat flirtatious, aware of her appeal. Matevosyan with rich hats composed of numerous small surfaces, which are thereby congruous with the wall behind the figure, with the “fond” whose colors and tones are analogous with the totality of the painting, executed with a certain dose of geometry. Rhythm is also introduced into surfaces by the increase of chromatic values so that the original concept of surfaces (or the introduction of two consecutive plans) gives the actors a note of the voluminous quality. But again, as in landscapes, a note of celebration is present, as well as of dignity; she could be a participant of maybe even an imaginary concert, because the resonance of colors leads to a quiet note of musical. It seems that Matevosyan paints always the same portrait, his ideal of beauty, caught in the sophistication of the face. The theme of his nudes is one step ahead of behind the female figure motive. Matevosyan created a strong erotic charge through variations of the pose; sensuality as a result of both the tense silhouette of the body and the tone of its skin. The firmness of construction is still present, because regardless of thematic changes, Matevosyan does not abandon his characteristic style, with his clear shapes within which a surface is endowed with rich nuances of tone. Matevosyan has found a balance between the presented and alluded too, so the realistic woof is laced with a poetic note. A lyrical overtone permeates the ecstasy of the painter, in the work not grandiose, but sincere and based on talent and skill.
A particularly interesting segment of Matevosyan’s work are his complex painting phrases, his polyptych compositions composed of a number of autonomous images, who are of the same character, regardless of thematic differences or to a certain extent even a different stylistic approach, so that they communicate fully articulate works of art, aimed at the abstract expression. Matevosyan also linked his “collages” together according to the principle of similarity and difference, discovering a connection within the pulsations of tones and colors. Similarities in the playful character of the surface or experiments with volmen. Feeling for “the hidden tectonics of form” originating in Matevosyan’s original vocation – sculpture, which he intelligently introduced into the painting; they are present in the web of pictorial events. Edvard Matevosyan is an artist who enriches traditional values with a modern sensibility, carefully cherishing memories of his native country, but who is also open to new artistic impulses.
by Stanko Shpolyarich
Art Critic
Zagreb, Croatia
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There are artists whose art is far from demonstrative themes and outer decorations. Such artists are just doing their job and achieve their goals due to their hard work.
Often, they somehow seem to remain in the shadows, but that does not tell about their art qualitative criterion. One such artist is Edward Matevosyan.
Having move to America Edward Matevosyan did not cease to paint, did not betray the creative principles, which he followed living in Armenia in Soviet times. It stands to reason, that switch in Edward’s life should tell upon his world outlook, which is always being affected by the external conditions. Other nature, other mode of life, alien environment, another type of human relations, etc. – all this makes any artist, who found himself in another country, to search for a new “language” for expressing his new, unknown feelings and impressions, for new ways of being in touch with the onlookers. For Edward Matevosyan, however, this “trial” brought to consolidation of his former creative system, based on the expression of the state of the placid concentration, tagging at the inner balance of his emotions, which does not allow him to fall into perplexity, doubt and uncertainty. Edward Matevosyan’s world outlook remained steady and firm.
Working in traditional genres, the artist demonstrates his ability to make imperceptible, ordinary and usual things significant and noteworthy. In the landscapes, depicting mostly urban views, one and the same approach is usually observed. We can see small but steady houses with a slow life behind their walls, situated along uninhabited street of the unknown towns. The artist flood everything with joyful light, thus the walls, the roofs, the windows of the houses, the trees, the sky – everything becomes equally bright, nearly enameled by the color, accurate by the drawing and clear-cut by the structure. Such manner seems to be naive, sometime even infantile, but this approach hides one of the peculiarities of Edward Matevosyan’s independent artistic methods. In town blocks the life passes slowly in a measured rhythm, but in this seeming peace are deeply hidden both- the sorrow and the charm. Sometimes, for the better balance the artist separates the volumes, the subjects and their parts one from another with strong generalized silhouette lines, turning them into a kind of a stained – glass window. This striving for generalization is a witness of a special credulity of the artist towards surrounding world – be it flowers or images of the people. It is important to him, at the very start of the work to bring his expressions to conformity with his ideas about artistic truth. He avoids the portrait “perusal” of depicted people, women mostly, but tries to transform to the onlookers his real hope for the human kind and attractive essence. His images look at us without any fear or hesitation. We can only guess the secrets of their inner life. In his images the artist strives for the moments of the mild and “healing” peace.
The variety of the world for any artist is being revealed in such phenomenon of the nature as the flowers are, the interpretation for which is connected with the artistic peculiarities of their creative activity. In the still-lives Edward Matevosyan once more shows the steadiness of his artistic program, depicting flowers in their material definiteness in such a way, as they can be apprehended by us in flower bowl on a table, in everyday surroundings, where reign peace, causiness and confidence that this small world of your home will never betray you.
by Marina Stepanyan,
Art Critic
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The streets of the suburbs, with their cozy street corners and houses, attracted the painter Edward Matevosyan very much. These very scenes served him as models for a long time. Amazingly, his most paintings, depicting winter, contain so much light and heat; sometimes, it is unbelievable that they were created of a palette with few colors and almost without bright ones. The painter’s unique color solutions and fresh thinking imparts a new interpretation to the landscape paintings.
Later, when he was in Zagreb, due to his subtle observation, contrasting modern buildings and constructions to high church constructions, he created paintings of Zagrebyan series. When Edward was young, he got involved in music and, of course, as it often happens, it was reflected in many of his works. These are mainly the violin, the cello or the flute playing women. These canvasses, which are the result of the artist’s vivid imagination, are penetrated deeply into the spirit and for a moment it seems that somewhere unexpectedly appears the music. These abrupt transitions of light and shadow carry us to a mysterious world…
Models were used in these compositions in their beautiful postures, painted with thick and harmonious color collection which penetrate and stick in memory.
Matevosyan is also close to the genre of still life. However, contrary to the above works, contrast is not too strong, and he stays close to the nature. When the artist paints flowers, fruit or other objects, he mainly appeals to moderate gamma, making the volume of the pictures expressive with delicate color spots.
Edward’s collage-canvasses are remarkable, too. These are compositions in which the author reveals his devotion to almost all painting genres. Landscapes and musicians, portraits, nude female models and still lifes, are altogether depicted on the surface, divided by thick imitating frame lines conveying a balance to the canvasses. These works are especially attractive for painting collectors because they include Matevosyan’s life path of creativity, ideas, and feelings. Due to author’s great expressiveness these chamber, not big canvasses have monumental sight…
Through his paintings, Matevosyan takes us to another world full of dreams and fairy tales that, I assure you, one would never want to leave …