Vartan Makhokhian

Vartan Makhokhian (; 31 May 1869 – 10 February 1937) was an Armenian painter who lived in the Ottoman Empire and France and was known for his marine paintings. After completing his studies at the Berlin Academy of Arts, he traveled and exhibited his art in France, Germany, Egypt and elsewhere. His art is displayed in various museums throughout the world.

Life and career Vartan Makhokhian was born in Trabzon in the Ottoman Empire on 31 May 1869 to Armenian parents. His father, Aristakes Makhokhian, was a merchant who demanded that his two daughters and four sons be educated. In 1875, Makhokhian began his early education at a local Armenian school where he took an interest in drawing. He later attended the prestigious Sanasarian College in Erzurum, returning to Trabzon after five years of study. During his time spent at Sanasarian, Makhokhian learned to paint. He also learned to play the violin and studied music theory. In 1891, Makhokhian began studies at the Berlin Academy of Arts where he was trained under the directorship of Eugen Bracht and Hans Gude.

Makhokhian graduated from the academy in 1894 and traveled to the Crimea, where he met with renowned Russian Armenian painter Ivan Aivazovsky in Feodosia. While in Russia, Makhokhian painted various scenes of the sea. He returned to his native Trabzon in 1895 and witnessed the Hamidian massacres. He escaped first to Batum and then to Europe where he began exhibiting his art.

Legacy French art critic Camille Mauclair published a book in 1918 about Makhokhian entitled Le Peintre de la mer Wartan Makhokhian (French: The Painter of the Sea Vartan Makhokhian). In it, Mauclair describes his work as follows:

Makhokhian's art is displayed in museums throughout the world, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice, Musée Arménien de France, National Gallery of Armenia, and the Pontifical Residence of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral.

Gallery

Monographs Ara H. Hakobyan, "Vartan Makhokhian Marine painting", Yerevan, 2004, monograph (in Armenian) Ara H. Hakobyan, "Vartan Makhokhian", Yerevan, 2006, album (in Armenian)