1982_04 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper April 1982

              Volume IV, No. 3
April 1982
2.U.3
HYE SHARZHOOM
&
ARMENIAN ACTION
The newspaper of the California State University, Fresno Armenian Students Organization and Armenian Studies Program
FRESNO PREMIERE OF ARMENIAN
"THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES"   pQETRY
Over 600 excited people came to see
premiere showing of the international film
"The Color of Pomegranates." The 1968
film by Soviet Armenian director Sarkis
Paradjanian, known internationally in the
film world as Sergei Paradjanov, both
fascinated and puzzled much of the
audience. The showing at the Tower
Theatre, Fresno's single art film house,
was sponsored and initiated by the
Armenian Studies Program of California
State University, Fresno. Observers of
the Armenian scene say it was the largest
turn out in recent history for a cultural
event, excluding of course the annual
April 24 Concert of Armenian Heritage.
The Palm Sunday afternoon event was
co-sponsored by the Armenian Alumni
Association of CSU Fresno, the United
Armenian Commemorative Committee,
and the Armenian General Benevolent
Union. ,
Two specialists were invited by the
Armenian Studies Program to present
this complicated and highly symbolic
film. First Dr. Dickran Kouymjian made
introductory remarks about the film and
the program of the day. Then, he introduced Dr. Leo Hamalian, Editor of the
literary quarterly Ararat, who showed
some slides of Sergei Paradjanov taken
last year during a visit with the film maker
in his home in Tiflis, Georgia S.S.R. Prof.
Hamalian described this extraordinary
visit he and a group of Americans had
with Paradjanov. Readers of Ararat may
have noticed the article on this visit in the
last issue of the magazine.
Dr. Hamalian, discussed the artist's
first imprisonment in late 1973 and his
subsequent release in 1978 after the protest of the world's leading film makers. He
was sorry to announce that Paradjanov
had been rearrested on vague charges
once again on February 11, 1982. The
premiere showing in Fresno was announced
as a benefit for the Paradjanov Support
Fund by the organizers.
Then Dr. Taline Voskeritchian of Los
Angeles, currently teaching at the Ferra-
hian school, carefully, but in simple and
direct language, explained how one
should view the movie for the first time.
Though it is a sequential story of the life of
18th century poet-priest Sayat Nova,
from childhood to death, the eight sections are so symbolically and surrealisti-
cally presented that those looking for a
direct story line will be confused. She
emphasized that regarding the film as an
impressionistic film painting, a poem in
film, would be the best way to enjoy the
lushness and artistry in it. Ms. Voskeritchian concluded by saying that the viewer
should relax and let the tiim penetrate the
senses. At the same time she drew attention to the immense amount of Armenian
folk material used by Paradjanov and
stressed that all the manuscripts and art
objects in the film, and, obviously the
medieval monasteries were authentic and
priceless objects.
After the film there was a coffee and
cookies reception in the lobby of the
Tower Theatre. Placed at various spots
were petitions for the audience to sign
requesting the U.S. Government to intercede in getting Paradjanov released.
See Premiere, p. 7
KARLEN MOORADIAN
LECTURES ON GORKY
By Charlotte Booloodian
Arshile Gorky (1904 - 1948), one of the
prominent artists; of the 20th century, was
the subject of a class offered by the
Armenian Studies Program through the
CSUF Extension Division on February
5-6, 1982. It was taught by Professor
Dickran Kouymjian. Special guest lecturer from Chicago, Professor Karlen Moor-
adian, an authority on Gorky, and the
artist's nephew (his mother Vartoosh was
Gorky's closest sister), was also present to
give further insight about Gorky's life and
art.
Gorky began life as Vosdanik Adoian
in one of the oldest established regions of
Armenia, the province of Van. His father
came from people who were farmers and
peasants. They worked the soil and were
very close to nature. His mother was a
descendant of a priestly family. Her particular clan had established a monastery
some fifteen centuries earlier; throughout
the centuries various family members served the monastery as artists, architects, or
priests. There was a close affinity to art.
It was through his mother. Lady Shu-
shanik Adoian, that Arshile Gorky be
came acquainted with art of the past. The
area of Gorky's birth and childhood was
rich with ancient ruins as well as numerous churches and monasteries. Lady Shu-
shanik would often take her son to these
various places where he became very
familiar with illuminated manuscripts,
wall paintings, architecture, and sculpture. H is mother, a perceptive woman and
attuned to the arts, was largely responsible for the development of Gorky's early
artistic sensitivity.
According to Karlen Mooradian, out of
Gorky's early exposure to art and his
experience of the Armenian environment
of Van, comes the foundation for his
philosophy known as hylozoism. The ancient doctrine of hylozoism teaches that
there is life or movement in all matter.
There is no separation between the animate and inanimate. This particular viewpoint was very predominant in the Van
area because of the closeness of the people
to nature. Everything is related to everything else, whether dead or living, for even
in death there is movement in the decomposition of a plant or animal. And in fact,
there is always movement in Gorky's art.
Many of Gorky's themes spring from
his Armenian roots. One such theme is
that of the "plow and the song." The plow
is the heart of the composition and the
song devotes itself to acclaiming the plow
as the benefactor of mankind. Without
the plow, there could be no agriculture,
and consequently, no nourishment to sustain life.
For the artist nature was the foundation
of art. He believed that man's separation
from the source of creativity and sensibility was in proportion to his alienation
from nature. This is an aspect of hylozoism.
One of the things that Gorky sought to
accomplish was, as he put it, ".. .to have
the song of the bird without the bird being
there." This implies that much is left to the
viewer's imagination. To understand or
appreciate art, one must approach the
subject with some preparation. There
needs to be investment of time and thought
in the understanding of it.
Today there are many forms of entertainment which do not require active
thinking on the part of the audience. We
simply sit and watch whatever is before us.
See Lecture, p. 12
COURSE
OFFERED
AT CSUF
On May 1 and 8, 1982 the Armenian
Studies Program at California State University, Fresno will offer a one-unit course
on Armenian Poetry which will be an
analysis of Armenian poetry from the earliest centuries to the present. The course
will concentrate on contemporary Armenian poets, especially the works of the Valley poet James C. Baloian, who will
appear in person. The class will incorporate the poetry of America and its influence on the Armenian poet. Several
poets— Armenian and non -Armenian
will read and discuss their works. Among
them will be Philip Levine, De Wayne
Rail, Omar Luis Salinas, and Archie
Minasian. All poets, friends of poetry,
music and art invited to CSUF to discuss,
listen and read poetry.
Registration can be done through the
Extension Division or on the first day of
class (May 1, 1982). The course is 1 credit
and will be held in the Social Sciences
Bldg., room 105 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
James C. Baloian is our resident Fresno
Poet. He attended CSUF and University
of California, Irvine. He is a poet and a
farmer. His works have been published in
numerous periodicals and anthologies.
His volume of poetry THE ARARAT
PAPERS was published in 1978. Since
then he has prepared several other collections of poems.
iiiiiiiiiiiifii!iiiiii(!!i!iitiiiiimiiii:ii!!iiiimiiim!waitt»auii
Inside
Hye Sharzhoom
Fall Course Schedule.. p.3
Armenians in Utah p.5
Hamalian Interview p. 7
Political Violence
and the Armenians p. 8-9
Women in the Armenian
Church p. 14
ilit!lifllilll!llllill!lllllllfil