Ararat 1906

Arshak Fetvadjian created this watercolour painting, titled 'Ararat'. Fetvadjian’s depictions of the Armenian landscape are poignant visual testaments, laden with cultural and political significance. Mount Ararat, a dormant volcano, looms large not just in the physical landscape, but also in the Armenian cultural and spiritual identity, despite lying just outside the borders of modern-day Armenia. We might consider this painting as a form of visual repatriation, a means of symbolically reclaiming a geographical space deeply intertwined with Armenian heritage, during a period when Armenian identity was under duress. Fetvadjian’s choice of watercolour lends the scene a soft, dreamlike quality. The delicate washes of colour evoke a sense of longing and reverence. It is both a personal expression of cultural identity and a collective symbol of resilience and remembrance.