Carole Pinto Fine Arts
Diran Garabedian
This luminous and colorful garden scene is evocative of Garabedian's childhood memories of hot afternoons of summer spent in the family house in Armenia. The vivid red of the tiled roof is echoed throughout the composition, and the vibrant chromatic contrasts add depth and animates the pictorial surface. The relaxed pose of the two women in the foreground is reminiscent of the work of Henri Lebasque in the delicacy and poise of their rendition.
Although Garabedian was born in Cairo, Egypt, he was of Armenian as well as Egyptian extraction. After studying art in Cairo, he left for Paris in 1900 where he studied at the prestigious Julian Academy, and became the student of Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens.
His early work was inspired by the analytic realism of Cezanne, but he quickly turned to expressionism, a style which fit perfectly with his emotional and cultural temperament. Garabedian would spend the summer months painting in Brittany, infusing his serenely radiant compositions with intimacy and charm. His works are loosely painted, as he dematerializes space and form by emphasizing sunlight and diffused color in his compositions.
As winter approached, Garabedian would return to his beloved Cairo, inspired by its golden sunsets, colorful marketplaces, and picturesque architecture. His palette evokes the lush colors of the Mediterranean, and he would soon be considered one of Egypt's first avant-garde artists.
Egyptian Artist (1882-1963)
'Garden Scene'
Oil on canvas
21 x 25.5 in.
$17,200