Student work featured in events for painter

By Priscilla Castro
The Collegian

After first seeing painter Arshile Gorky’s work, Nouritza Matossian knew she was hooked.

“I was blown away by him,” Matossian, a British author and actress said. “It was love at first sight when I saw his paintings.”

The Fresno State Department of Art and Design will sponsor an exhibit of student art inspired by Gorky’s work at the Fresno City Hall through April 27.

Matossian, author of “Black Angel, A Life of Arshile Gorky,” a biography of Gorky, came to Fresno State as part of the Gorky Festival.

The Gorky Festival, named after Arshile Gorky, is an exhibition of Gorky’s paintings and drawings. The festival consists of two months of different events, lectures and concerts.

Gorky survived the Armenian Genocide. He came to the United States in 1915 with his sister, where he became a painter.

“My theatre piece is to present Gorky to all of the people of Fresno and for Armenians to celebrate an unsung hero,” said Matossian. “Gorky represents people who lost their homes, relatives and had to leave everything behind.”

Matossian presented two events for the Gorky Festival, “A Case of Mistaken Identity: Why Arshile Gorky Changed his Name,” a lecture which took place on April 18 and a multimedia presentation sponsored by the Arts and Humanities College.

Many of the other events held as part of the Gorky Festival on campus were sponsored by the Fresno Art Museum and the Armenian Museum. Most the events are free of charge.

Gorky’s birth name was Manoug Adonian, but he later changed his name to Arshile Gorky, after a Russian writer.

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