• News
• Links
• Partners
• Site map

 JANSEM (Hovhannes Semerdjian, 9.3.1920 (Turkey)-27.08.2013), painter. NAS RA Foreign member (2002). He and his family settled  in Thessaloniki in 1922, they moved to Paris in 1931. Jansem studied at  school free of academies of Montparnasse (1934), then he continued his education in  the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs. (1939). From 1944 his works were exhibited in Salon des Independants. Some of his works are on national themes («The Armenian woman» (1946), «Armenian wedding» (1947), «Funeral» (1981, National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan), etc.) Jansem’s unique and realistic compositions are full of deep humanism («Family» (1953), «At the market» (1954), «Fishmongers» (1957), «Torchlight procession»  (1962), etc.), among his series of paintings are «Venice» (1966), «Dance» (1970), «Bullfight» (1972), «Masquerade»,

«Masks», «Procession» (1987), among his portraits are «Actor A. Quinn» (1955), «Charles Aznavour» (1956), etc. He made colorful and monochrome lithographs, illustrations (books by Cervantes,  Baudelaire). In Jansem's paintings yellow-green is often combined with red, green and orange lines. Jansem was elected the President of the Young Artists' Saloon in 1956.

He had  exhibitions in different countries of the world.  Jansem  won many awards, such as  Prix Comparaison (1958, Mexico) ,  prize of the Biennale (1962, Bruges), Panamanian prize «Vahagn» (2002), he was also awarded St. Mesrop Mashtots medal (2002), Legion d'honneur (2003).

Source - «Who is who. The Armenians» encyclopedia, volume 1, chief editor Hovh. Ayvazyan, Yerevan, 2007, p. 456-457 (in Armenian).

See also

 Jansem (paintings)