Art & Politics

Art & Politics

Art & Politics

By Tamara Hovhannisyan, PhD.

I am not the first one to confirm that art has a closeness with history and politics. Art is a mirror reflection of our time that eventually is archived in history books, museums, and libraries.  We know the grandeur of past cultures and civilizations by the legacy of their art produced and left behind, as invisible marks of time and inconspicuous story tellers.

Art is the Silk Road to philosophy.  It leads to truth and wisdom via beautiful expressions and representations captured on canvas.  Immigration is one of those truths frequently documented in art.  It is not uncommon that under unbearable political and social situations artists will migrate from their motherlands to find a solution to their existential condition that will permit them to freely create.  Such has been the journey of many Immigrants who migrated in search of “The Land of the Free”.  They were soldiers of fortune.

Child – Claude Idlas

Allow me for a second to take you back to the foundations of our beloved country and ask, could a flock of disappointed immigrants build a country of such great importance 250 years ago?

These pioneers were the heroes; the servants of art.  They were rejected historians, believers, dreamers in their land, and this new American land offered them the refuge to their dreams.  In all cultures there is a saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, and these people were always neglected and politically misunderstood.

Memories – Gegham Aleksanyan

Some of them were labeled as emotionally unstable, politically unreliable, leftovers from the other side of the globe; searching for new beginnings in the land of the great.  250 years later, America is still great because it is still open to give people the possibility to dream. We are surrounded by THE HOPE of different destinies with daily struggles to survive.

Promenade – Vahagn Avetisyan

Until now, the enormous flow of good and bad immigrants are crowds of dream chasers, some, without doubt will bring enormous abilities to lift up somewhat young cultural heritage of this great land of ours.

It is said that it takes a ton of processed material to get one gram of gold.  It is not difficult to spot the people with fragile hearts and broken destinies, yet complete with a solid ability to create.

Elimination and ignorance towards beginning problems of talented immigrants creates a sense of darkness and lose of direction in their hearts, and creativity as their gift will turn to be an eternal curse.  These artists are painting history with their lives.  Are we going to disconnect ourselves from their destinies?

The fact that these new immigrants might or might not speak a common language should not be a reason to devalue their knowledge, understanding, and values they bring within. We must understand that all cultural differences can rest and easily merge into one common tongue, captured in canvas for the valuation of us all.  These cultural differences give birth to the many branches within the journey of art collecting.

Harvest – Claude Idlas

Are we going to abandon our talented immigrant in their time of need?  Are we going to ignore their valuable offerings and contributions to our country, our world?  I think that nowadays, professionals in the art business, museums, art galleries, all need to have a greater participation and greater representation of people that come to this land to replant the landless trees each with their own creativity, recognizing each, and setting aside their language barrier, color, and religion they follow.  Remember, art is the only ambassador which will never be a subject of calling back.  We, at Collectors Galleries, honor and admire those that paint history with their lives.