Atom Hovhanesyan
(August 19, 1981 in Yerevan, Armenia – May 10, 2018 New York) was New York based artist working in oil and ink. Atom refined and continued developing the post divisionist technique. His creations attempted to tell a story or a path that the eye would take through the painting. As he wrote in his biography on artbyatom.com, he painted in “not so much in a sense of a narrative but bits and pieces of thoughts or emotions/memories, at times accidental, at times directed consciously, unified in one mood or an atmosphere providing a kind of epilogue that’s open to interpretation.”
Atom lived a life many wouldn’t understand. To this day, his family and friends still don’t understand the struggles and depression he faced for the past decade nearly, but his art spoke volumes. As a faithful and respectful learner, then successor of legendary master’s vision, style and performance, loved very much traditional choice of medium and ground his own colors. And after colossal dedication to art, some times, 72 hours non stop painting or drawing, unintentionally or maybe subconsciously created unique, unrepeatable style and technique in post divisionism and ink drawings, never observed before.
Nola K. Ross: “No, I have never seen a technique like Atom’s. I am by no means an expert, just a girl who is in love with Art. But I have taken art history classes, and continue to study the arts on a daily basis. My brain is hungry to learn, so I try to explore all techniques, as I am teaching myself to paint as well, so I am in constant art education. Atom’s line drawings-I feel are unreal. His ability to create such beauty with a ball point pen…I was blown away each time he posted. Atom, as far as I have seen, is completely original”.
From a single look at his creations you will see the artwork speaks for itself. An educated, bright, caring young man faced a quick turn of events in his life at an early age and turned to art as a medium of expression. Many didn’t and never will know what caused or spurred the chain of events to occur, but nonetheless they did.
In May 10, 2018, at age 36, Atom took his life. He left behind over 150 pieces of work that exert such powerful messages.
2015-2017
Art Students League of New York
Studied under Michael Grimaldi, Thomas Torak and Dan Thompson
Michael Grimaldi: “I remember Atom fondly as a kind, gentle and proactive student. While he had only limited experience with the formal study of the human figure prior to his entering my Life Drawing and Anatomy class the Art Students League, Atom thrived and excelled in his studies thanks to his innate curiosity, talent, unwavering drive and thoroughness. What struck me the most about the work that Atom produced in my class was his ability to apply his self-directed understanding of abstract design to his long-term inquiries into the human form. His ability to appreciate the expressive nature of the human figure and insight into the human condition gave Atom the rare ability to compose stunning works that utilized both the lyrical qualities of line and movement while achieving a profound sense of depth, space, and atmosphere.“
Thomas Torak: “Atom was a very talented artist and the kind of student most teachers dream about. I was always excited to see what he had done and often gave him long critiques because I knew he wanted to hear everything I had to say. He wanted to know everything I knew about painting. He was always searching for answers, in painting, and perhaps in life too. I did not know Atom outside the classroom, but in class he was well liked and a lively presence. I always enjoyed his quick smile, his intelligence and energy. I loved to see his eyes light up as he learned something new. There have been many great artists who passed away at much too young an age. Raphael at 37, Mozart at 35, Van Gogh 37, Van Dyck 41. Some candles burn long and slowly, others burn bright and die quickly. Atom’s candle burned brightly and he will be remembered for his vitality and curiosity, for the light that fired his imagination, and for the light that he brought to the lives of his friends and family.”
Dan Thompson: “I remember first meeting him at The Art Students League, in Studio 15. I was immediately struck by the gentle strength of his nature. While dialoguing about painting, his consideration was evident, but Atom was also a great listener. Over time, I enjoyed our exchanges tremendously – Atom’s wonderful, dry sense of humor would often emerge, seemingly out of nowhere. At the end of one of the Art Students League regular seasons, during the year-end party in May, Atom gifted me a very nice Holbein palette knife as a thank you. That knife is a lasting symbol of his kindness. I respected Atom’s artwork and his working methodologies. I tried to critique him in the same spirit as his intentions would permit, to honor what he was doing. Our discussions were, resultantly, more about the philosophical-side of his painting practice. He appeared to use oil painting as, almost, a sort of meditation. He seemed very content and engaged while he was painting in class. Students only allow me to see certain sides of them, but the side I saw of Atom I admired. His artwork is very unique and reflects his character and great integrity as a person.“
2013- 2015
National Academy of New York
Studied under Phil Michelson
Focus on anatomy, life drawing from the figure.
2009-2013
Autodidactic Study
Heavily influenced by De Kooning and Kandinsky
Studied color theory and Kandinsky’s theory on design
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2015-2017
Focused on anatomy and figure drawing from life with Michael Grimaldi. Portrait painting with Tom Torak. Figure painting with a focus on color and optical approach with Dan Thompson.
Self study: Began copying old master drawings (Leonardo, Raphael, Del Sarto, Pontormo, Tintoretto) as well as portrait work. Continued studies after Seurat drawings, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. Continued studying anatomy, perspective and effects of light.
Output: Continued interest in post impressionism and abstract expressionism. Refined and continued developing the post divisionist technique. working on Landscapes as well as reworking (at times completely) past unsuccessful works. Continued working on the Ink Drawings refining the technique working mostly on portraits. Began developing a gestural approach to figure, thinking to merge the smoky abstract atmosphere with the divisionist idea. The idea would be to juxtapose complimentary colors over each other, however the gestures would be more filament like, intertwined to create a continuous mesh of a fabric where the figure would be almost lost.
In regards to abstract paintings moved towards less of a painterly and more of an atmospheric approach trying to move from focus on the process, to being more aware of design, balance of composition/line, influenced by Gorky and De Kooning.
Moreover attempting to incorporate a “storyline” or a path that the eye would take through the painting, not so much in a sense of a narrative but bits and pieces of thoughts or emotions/memories, at times accidental , at times directed consciously, unified in one mood or an atmosphere providing a kind of epilogue that’s open to interpretation.
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2013-2015
Figure painting from life under Phil Michelson.
Other life drawing classes with focus on anatomy.
Self Study: Continued to make studies of Post impressionist masters. Studied art history as a whole, focusing on high renaissance, baroque, romanticism, realism and impressionism. Attempting to connect and understand the influences of modern masters and movements, such as Cubism, Futurism, Abstract expressionism. Continued study of color theory as well as refining the actual process of grinding own colors. Output: Almost completely repainted the first 2 years of abstract works. Began developing the post divisionist works in to a series, attempting to see the work as a whole. Began the women series. Continued working on the ink drawing, with more symbolic or surrealistic mind set.
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2009-2013
At first a completely naive approach almost completely abstract. Most of it was just experimenting with paint application etc, basically just getting the feel of paint and canvas.
Slowly began being interested in Kandinsky and De Kooning, began emulating De Kooning’s works. Started grinding own colors in oil early on to save on cost and to be able to have the necessary amount of paint to be able to work in the painterly approach. Studied color theory in order to use my limited palette more effectively.
After some time decided that more serious study was necessary, so began studying art history, discovering masters throughout history (began with modern masters working back in time) that connected to without any outside influence or opinions, going to museums buying the monographs of the particular master, studying the work and connecting the dots in the overall timeline of art history. Output: After the first 2 years of almost manic, naive and non stop painting went through another breakdown.
At about the third year began emulating, in order to understand: Cubist works by Picasso, Divisionist works by Seurat and Post impressionist works by Cezanne and Van Gogh. About same time began juxtaposing lines/ hatch marks to paint the figure, decided to develop the idea and understood it as continuation of divisionism. At about the same time honed in on an approach in the abstract works that had a unifying stylistic quality.
Alexandra Matthews, Mixed Media Artist
I was intrigued by Atom’s work from the moment I first saw one of his paintings. That painting was of a woman, painted in hues of blue. The painting was ethereal, elusive, intangible, yet visceral. Atom’s body of work led me through his artistic and creative processes and his influences evidenced in his subject matter, colors, styles, techniques, and brushstrokes. There are inklings of his movement towards his final artistic style and expression in his early portrait work, where his realistic portraitures and figurative works begin with a collection of women, whose posture and surroundings convey modernity, while evoking verisimilitude. It is in some of these works and his unfinished pieces where I first notice a subtle change in his technique, notable in the various renditions of waiflike figures in his work.
In his Abstract work on large scale canvases, colors are juxtaposed creating movement and vitality. It is here that I begin to see the influence and inspiration of Divisionism and Post Impressionism, where academic tradition and Divisionism’s chromatic colors and strokes of pigment are used to create the visual effect of intense single colors.
Atom succeeds in developing his unique style and applying his developing technique to many of his earlier works. However, in his final works where crosshatched brushstrokes are used to lay down juxtaposition colors, side by side on the canvas surface, thereby creating luminosity and the optical illusion that the eye mixes the colors, allows the viewer to discover both obvious and hidden aspects of the painting. His use of the entire canvas, repetitive crosshatched brush strokes and color are reminiscent of a sculptor carving from a great piece of stone. Atom paints in a way that a sculptor sculpts, each brushstroke laid releases the figure as if carved from stone; figures become dimensional, rising and receding from the canvas, at time fully formed, while others may have been intentionally unfinished and transcendental.
Atom’s paintings are captivating, provoking, and arresting. They inspire emotion and thought. He was a prolific, consummate painter who created interesting, and artistically challenging art.
Microsoft Word – Documento1
ATOM HOVHANESYAN
In underlining and highlighting the characteristics of Atom’s pictorial technique, the undoubtedly original aspects of his operating methodology can be noted, which seems to be linked to a figurative balance of almost archaic or slightly classical intonation. There is even talk of a sort of return to a forgotten world, as if to rediscover an atmospheric dimension and a vibration that enhances the vitality of the figures in a balance and in a sensitive perception of undoubted charm. Atom constitutes a world of its own, certainly linked to values, not only artistic ones, which are not reflected in today’s reality. It must be said that the approach with his introspections is not easy; the images that Atom carries on the canvas describe environments and characters of a dreamlike dimension. We move in a sort of imaginative transfiguration that enhances the elements depicted, almost as a sign of a genuine form of deepening the author’s poetic world. We are truly in the passionate climate of a painting that we can indicate and define as a measurement of one’s life. Even that insistence on figures often in a landscape without Fondo, almost as if they wanted to destroy the representative motifs of everyday life, are interesting aspects of a “grammar” that has increasingly become personalized in an environment where calm and suggestions reign supreme, sometimes crossed by clouds of persuasive intuitions.
Calogero Cordaro
Atom Hovhanesyan
Atom Hovhanesyan’s artistic journey, as experienced through his oeuvre, is a profound narrative of emotional depth, technical brilliance, and a relentless pursuit of a distinct visual language that speaks to the complexity of human experience. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, and later becoming a vibrant part of the New York art scene, Hovhanesyan’s work is a testament to the power of art to transcend boundaries, both geographical and psychological.
The artist’s method, a refined continuation of the post-divisionist technique, is a visual symphony of color and form. Each canvas is not merely a surface for paint but a dynamic space where light and color interact, creating a pulsating energy that invites the viewer to explore deeper narratives and emotions. His paintings, such as “Fall landscape with two trees,” showcase a mastery of texture and a sophisticated use of color that seems to dance across the canvas, leading the eye on an exploratory journey that mirrors the meandering pathways within the depicted landscapes.
Hovhanesyan’s dedication to his craft is evident in the physicality of his work. His choice to grind his colors is a nod to the traditional methods of the old masters, yet his vision is distinctly modern. This blend of the historical and contemporary is a hallmark of his style, as he bridges the past and present to create art that is timeless.
Despite the artist’s internal battles with depression, his work is a beacon of beauty and resilience. The struggles he faced in private are counterbalanced by the vibrant life force that radiates from his art. The dedication to his practice, often resulting in marathon sessions of creation, is a profound act of self-expression and a quest for meaning through the medium of paint and ink.
Atom Hovhanesyan’s legacy is one of courage, innovation, and an unyielding commitment to exploring the depths of human emotion through art. His works stand as a powerful reminder of art’s ability to connect us to our inner worlds and to each other. In every brushstroke and ink line, Hovhanesyan left a piece of himself—a testament to his exceptional human qualities and the enduring power of art to communicate across the silent expanse of time and space. His art not only offers an epilogue open to interpretation but also serves as an enduring prologue to the conversations that will continue to flourish around his remarkable body of work.
In the pantheon of contemporary artists, Atom Hovhanesyan emerges as a singular figure whose work embodies an intense and passionate engagement with the visual language of color and form. His canvases are replete with a vibrancy that speaks to a deep understanding of the post-divisionist technique, a method that Hovhanesyan not only mastered but also pushed into new realms of expression. His art is a testament to the dialogue between artist and medium, a conversation that unfolds across each piece with eloquence and emotional depth.
Hovhanesyan’s oil paintings are notable for their textured surfaces, where the interplay of light and color creates a dynamic tension that is almost palpable. Each brushstroke carries with it the weight of his artistic intent, laying down not just pigment but also the very essence of his mood and perspective. These works convey a sense of the elemental force of nature, as well as the nuanced shifts of the human psyche.
In his ink drawings, one can observe a meticulous attention to detail and an astounding level of finesse. The monochromatic world he crafts with pen and paper is a universe of contrasts, where shadow and light coexist in a delicate balance. Each piece is a network of lines and dots that coalesce into images of haunting beauty and complexity, suggesting not only form but also the very spirit of the subject.
The journey through Hovhanesyan’s oeuvre is akin to a pilgrimage through varied emotional landscapes. There is an inherent storytelling quality to his work, a narrative suggested by the way the eye is guided through the composition. His technique invites contemplation, urging the viewer to pause and connect with the work on a level that transcends the visual to become almost spiritual.
Hovhanesyan’s dedication to his art is evident in the sheer scale and ambition of his creations. His commitment to traditional methods, such as grinding his own colors, reflects a reverence for the craft of painting, while his unique approach to composition demonstrates an innovative spirit. The resulting style is one that honors the past while boldly carving a new path forward.
What is perhaps most striking about Hovhanesyan’s art is the palpable sense of humanity that permeates it. In a world often preoccupied with the fleeting and superficial, his work stands as a beacon of depth and sincerity. Even without knowledge of his personal struggles, one can sense a profound narrative at play, one that speaks to the universal
human experiences of joy, sorrow, and the search for meaning.
His body of work, therefore, is not just a collection of individual pieces but a cohesive tapestry of artistic exploration. Each painting and drawing is a chapter in a larger story—one that Hovhanesyan crafted with the sensitivity and insight of a true master. His legacy is a profound reminder of the power of art to move, to challenge, and to evoke a deep resonance within the hearts and minds of those who encounter it. Through his art, Hovhanesyan achieved a form of immortality, leaving behind a visual lexicon that will continue to inspire and provoke dialogue for generations to come.
By Marta Puig
Editor Contemporary Art Curator Magazine
https://www.contemporaryartcuratormagazine.com/home-2/atom-hovhanesyan-artreview