For centuries, amateur and professional artists from all over the world have been inspired by nature. Whether bringing their easels outside to paint en plein air or gaining inspiration from other works of art, reproductions, or photographs, artists have been fascinated, dazzled and moved by landscapes for hundreds of years. The Jermuk Art Gallery, a branch of the National Gallery of Armenia, is known for its colorful, mysterious, and evocative paintings of landscapes, scenes in nature, and paintings that include natural elements, such as vibrant bouquets of flowers, verdant mountainous landscapes, and waterfalls.
This program introduces visitors to the Gallery’s collection, focusing on the landscape genre. Visitors will learn about the Soviet-Armenian and contemporary artists whose works are on display and then be invited to set up easels outside (weather permitting) or throughout the Gallery for a landscape-painting workshop. Led by a professional painter, participants of the workshop will learn the processes and principles involved in painting landscape compositions. Through this guided workshop experience, they will be encouraged to tap into their creativity, express their own styles, and learn how to depict light, space, and tonal variation, among other elements of the landscape genre. Of course, at the end, visitors can go home with their new masterpiece. Following the workshop, participants may visit the beautiful Jermuk waterfall located some ten minutes away by following the field road through the Gallery’s backyard.
About the Museum
One of the National Gallery of Armenia’s 11 branches, the Jermuk Art Gallery encourages a deeper understanding of Armenian art since the 1950s through its rich collection of paintings in a variety of styles by artists, including Martiros Sarian, Vahram Gaifejian, and Hakob Hakobian. The gallery hosts both temporary and permanent exhibitions featuring paintings, sculptures, and ceramics, as well as programs, lectures, and workshops to educate the public and foster a deeper appreciation for Armenian art and artists. Highlights in the collection include a portrait of Paruyr Sevak by Sargis Muradyan full of rich symbolism, as well as a stone with the word arev,” meaning sun in Armenian, inscribed by the Armenian American novelist and playwright William Saroyan when he visited Jermuk in 1978.
