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A
Tete-a-Tete With Alexander Sadoyan.
Sadoyan, The
Man, The Mystic And The Phenomenal Artist.
Essay
By Maximillien de La Croix de Lafayette
The
Beginning, by Sadoyan
Interview by Valerie Constand
After
having published an art critique of the paintings of Alexander Sadoyan, heavy
mail from around the globe poured over our desks asking for more personal information about this phenomenal
artist.
We
did expect a warm reaction, for the critique was passionate and Sadoyan’s art
appealed to international art communities. But, we did not anticipate such a
constant and heavy fans and art lovers mail about Sadoyan the man and the
artist. Thus, we had to interview him, even for a brief tete-a-tete.
Alexander Sadoyan as
artist views the world with a philosophical eye. His perception of the world
captures the passages of life and the human inner feelings with a warm heart. He
paints and sees our human universe
with a mind and a heart. He talked to us about metaphysics, God, inner reality,
ups and downs in his career, difficulties of the art trade in an artist life and
business, his understanding of the apparent and secret meanings of colors, about
divination, and so many other themes and topics.
He
did not elaborate in his answers. He was brief to a certain degree but, his
sincerity, his deep thoughts, his Jean-Paul Sartre philosophico-artistic
approach to life, his positive attitude during tough times, his spirituality and
the generosity he is know for shined crystal clear in those brief answers and
his eloquent silence.
While
asking the questions and re-viewing his answers, we sailed deeper in the
spiritual and philosophical universe of Sadoyan. It was so interesting to embark
on such journey, for we began to learn more and more about this gentle,
generous, decent, creative, philosophical and phenomenal artist.
We were
touched by his humility, for his art does not reveal humility. On he contrary,
his art is the expression of an Arthurian knight with spears, daggers and a wild
horse. His strokes are powerful, his colors are oratorical and his compositions
are energetically revolutionary at an intellectual and aesthetical level. Grosso
mode, his art is not modest.
From
reading and re-reading the interview with Sadoyan, we began to learn more about
difficulties artists encounter in their life. Especially, when an artist is an
outstanding master of lights, shadows and colors, yet, he is not amassing a
fortune or even selling enough. We knew so many artists in our business. Some
were illustrious and others were on their way to make it big one day. Regardless
of their financial strength and artistic status quo, they had many things in
common: When is my next show? Did my agent sell anything
or enough this week? Am I getting any new exhibitions in the horizon? How
to cover expenses? How to pay bills? How can I reach a larger audience? Can I
get a first class show at famous
galleries? Do I have to re-design my brochures and paintings catalogues? What
should I paint next? I need money as fast as yesterday. That is true. Even Pablo
Picasso was very concerned with the sale of his paintings. Constantly, he fought
with his agents in New York and London. He worried all the time about new
exhibitions, press articles, unauthorized biographies, gossips, income, sales,
financial security, investment, yet he was at the top of the world. We could
sense those concerns in Sadoyan’s answers. But, this fine human being and
outstanding artist looked upon life and certain sales or financials mishaps with a heroic attitude. He was polite and gentle in his
answer, when we asked him about financial difficulties usually artists encounter
and constantly go through in their career. He simply said, “I have to keep on
painting and in the same time, I have to do something else. I have to work.”
Passion
Sadoyan
told us also about his
understanding and interpretation of the meanings of colors. It was quite a
unique interpretation, for Alexander Sadoyan through that interpretation, and
indirectly or indirectly, his mind, his soul, his intellect and his humility
were able to shed lights on his religious beliefs without talking about
religion. Sadoyan’s interpretation shed lights on his character and psyche
without submitting himself to a Gestalt test.
Inspire
His
interpretation of colors told us a lot about what influenced his visions of the
world and how various ideologies of varied societies, ethnic groups, religions,
ethno-ecological conceptions have shaped Sadoyan’s Cosmos. Rarely we meet
artists who see in “red” a “personal identification”, in
“black” the symbol of “courage”, and in “red” again,
“precision, correctness and ascertainment”. But Sadoyan extended
himself to reach for a cosmic interpretation of colors and shadows of colors. He
saw in “yellow” the symbol of wisdom, as did Budhist monks and Mahayana and
Nihayana sages centuries ago. He saw in “green” the meaning of divination as
did the magi and alchemists of Hamurabi, Babylon, Assyria, Cilicia, Urartu and
the celestial fertile crescents of Asia Minor and Anatolia. He saw in “blue”
the color of serenity, yet many illustrious artists before him saw in blue, the
tumultuous ocean of human tragedies and landscape of the hidden, the
sacred, the divine, the known and the
unknown.
Blossom
Sadoyan
has his own colors universe. And it is so wonderful to explore his universe, for
colors do not exclusively breath with and from
paint, brushes and tubes, but also with and from within. The man is a
philosopher. A gentle and a humble philosopher with an unsurpassed artistic
talent. And this is what I like most about Alexander Sadoyan. His humility, his
wise and simple philosophy and the brightness of his human-divine art.
While
talking with Alexander Sadoyan about colors, he threw here and there some very
deep thoughts and contemplation about themes not very much en vogue nowadays.
Sadoyan squeezed words like “divination”, “Metaphysics”, “God”,
“wisdom”, “Soul”, “spirit”, “Inner Self”,; those are very heavy
concepts from a modern contempo Californian cubist artist. Ironically enough,
and originally Cubism was everything but metaphysical
or liturgical. And here we are today before the perfect cubist artist living and
working in California who built up the very essence of his cubist art upon
metaphysics and spirituality. This Alexander Sadoyan makes you think and wonder.
This
is the fourth time I write about Alexander Sadoyan. Probably, I will never stop
writing about this man. He entered my soul and his art infiltrated its lights
and hidden love in the very fabrics of my madness and passion for life. I just
simply love Sadoyan’s art.
I did not interview
Sadoyan. Valerie Constand did. I just read the article. I felt the need of
writing a few words about Sadoyan, the artist of lights, beauty, visions and
wisdom. The need to comment on his answers. They were honest, sincere and
evocative. The integrity of this man, the exemplary generosity of this man and
the marvelous nuances of lights and shadows in Sadoyan’s compositions
stimulate me for writing more about him. Most certainly, I will visit with him
again and will sail once again in the immensity of his realm of beauty,
divinatory aesthetics and metaphysical symbolism. I hope to see you soon,
Alexander.
By Maximillien de La Croix de Lafayette
July 14, 2003
A Candid And
Unedited Interview With The Great Alexander Sadoyan
By
Valerie Constand
WACJ: Alexander, explain to us what colors mean
to you? For instance, what do you see in red, white, blue, black, yellow,
green, etc? What colors represent to you?
Sadoyan: The red color represents me. White is the color of blossom.
Blue is the color of calmness. Black is the color of courage. Red is the color
of precision. Yellow is the color of wisdom. Green is the color of divination.
WACJ: You are a painter. That's a tough profession? Isn't it?
Sometimes, it is hard to make a living, being an artist? Do you agree?
Sadoyan: Yes. I agree it is very hard to make a living being an artist.
WACJ: How do you represent metaphysical ideas and concepts in your paintings?
And why is it so important to be spiritual? Many artists were not spiritual,
yet, they were masters in the field, such as Picasso, for example. He did not
take religion very seriously.
Sadoyan: I'm spiritual, because I' believe in God.
WACJ: Do you think Armenian artists paint differently from other
non-Armenian Artists?
Sadoyan: I think Armenian artist paint differently. I do.
WACJ: Why do you like Gorky so much?
Sadoyan: Gorky is a role model for most Armenian contemporary artists
including myself.
WACJ: What are the most characteristic traits and strengths of a great
abstract artist?
Sadoyan: To struggle and never to give up.
WACJ: Why did you come to the United States? You are
originally from Lebanon, correct? Perhaps Armenia?
Sadoyan: I'm originally from Yerevan, Armenia.
WACJ: How do you come up with titles for your paintings?
Sadoyan: I put the title after finishing my painting.
Struggle
WACJ: What is your favorite
abstract or cubist painting of any painter in the West or in the East?
Sadoyan: I have more than one. My favorite abstract painters are
Kandinsky, Gorky and Miro.
WACJ: And how about the favorite painting of your own work?
Sadoyan: I like "Dreams".
WACJ: Do you take art critics seriously?
Sadoyan: Constructive criticism is what I value the most.
WACJ: Did you paint the perfect painting or you are still searching for?
Sadoyan: No, I have not painted my perfect painting yet, but I hope
that I will one day.
WACJ: Is there anything common between classical painting and abstract
painting?
Sadoyan: Nothing common, because they have different styles.
Drummer by Saroyan
WACJ: What you don't like in
modern or contemporary abstract art. The art itself or the artist?
Sadoyan: I don't like get in to analytical aspect of my work.
WACJ: What are the questions you don't like to answer to?
Sadoyan: I like to answer all questions.
WACJ: How long it takes you usually to finish a painting?
Sadoyan: I think Picasso has come up with a proper answer to this
question: 30 years+ two hours.
WACJ: And what do you do next when you finish a painting?
Sadoyan: I start to think about my ideas, so I could paint a new
painting.
WACJ: Who buys your art?
Sadoyan: Rich people buy my art.
WACJ : Have you met important people through your art? I know Charles Aznavour
has one your paintings. Did you give it to him? Why?
Sadoyan: I presented my painting to Charles Aznavour, because he is my
favorite singer and his a patriot person highly regard in
my country.
WACJ: Are you a Diaspora Artist, an Armenian Artist or an International artist?
Sadoyan: I'm an International artist and I paint for people of the world.
WACJ: What is the difference
between an International Armenian Artist and an Armenian artist?
No answer!
WACJ: Have you ever had hard times or tough experiences in your career as a
painter? What kind of difficulties you had? How did you deal with?
Sadoyan: Always I had a hard time in my artist career. I solved the
problem by working.
WACJ: Painting is your profession. Do you do something else besides painting?
Sadoyan: Sometime I do something else.
WACJ: Do you have kids? Do they like art? Do they paint? Do you want them to
become artist like you or do something else? Why?
Sadoyan: Yes, I have two sons. They like to paint. Yes. I want them to
become artists.
Interview by Valerie Constand,
July 14, 2003
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
RE-PRINT
OF ARTWORK CRITIQUE BY MAXIMILLIEN DE LA CROIX DE LAFAYETTE
qInterior
By Maximillien de La Croix de Lafayette, April 6, 2003,
Berlin, Germany
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S
adoyan’s paintings are
the landscape and rendez-vous of festival of vibrant and rich colors
metamorphosing in
eloquent lines, curves, free-spirited compositions and
un-announced visions. It is a pure delight to look at Sadoyan’s
creation. His art moves constantly on the canvases, from one composition to
another, from one theme to conceptual states of mind and soul in a rhythmic
nonchalance. For instance, we gaze at “INTERIOR”, and we begin
the exploration of
un-prescribed frontiers of shapes and forms.
We
return to “INSPIRE”, and our feelings change, for we are no longer
perceiving eloquent geometrical patterns, but, we are cruising a multi-leveled
landscape of flashes of lights, free movements and appealing melodious rhythms
toward undecided destinations, where your expectations become insignificant or
irrelevant, because you are now centered and anchored in a magic carpet of one
thousand different rebellious strokes, an ocean of multiple shapes, figures,
forms, circular, square, rectangular, oval and juxtaposed lines and statements.
“INSPIRE” is a magnificent piece.
A lessandro Sadoyan
paints with love, feelings, and fury. Does he think, and does his contemplate
before he begins
to paint? Who knows and who cares! He does it brilliantly.
Does
he expect to see on his canvases what he previously imagined in his mind? Who
knows? But, one thing is sure, this artist thinks with feelings and he feels
with thoughts and artistic meta-logic. His
heart has a logic that the logic of mind ignores. Who and what inspires this
brilliant Armenian colorist and visionary? I do not know. Inspirations and
illuminations change in our life. Sometime, they are the product of our needs,
anxiety, fear or joy. Sometime, they escape us, and we run crazy after them,
searching for an explanation, a message, or perhaps we chase them to
entertain ourselves.
When a painting begins to entertain you and enchant
your feelings, giving you the impression, the fantasy and the feelings that
“she” is half linen and half human, then take the painting in your arm,
embrace “her” and comfort “her”, for “she” is opening up to you
and “she” is whispering something…something very secretive…and just
for your eyes only. She just
freed herself from linens and became part of your feelings and existence; a
sort of jinni! And that is the magic and incomprehensible divine language of
art. Some of Sadoyan’s paintings make me feel that
way.
Sadoyan’s paintings are full of life and warmth. Some are dressed up with a robe of wild gardens, others are timid, sweet and human. They appeal to my eyes, to my intellect and a lot…a lot…to my inner self…and to my madness.
You
can reach the artist at: alesado101@hotmail.com
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