During my interesting interview with Merited Cultural Figure of the Republic of Armenia, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Yerevan State Academy of the Arts, member of the Union of Artists of Armenia, Professor Edik Vardanyan at the editorial office of “Hayern Aysor” electronic newspaper of the RA Ministry of Diaspora, I was able to talk to a unique and wonderful painter and a unique Armenian, whose life and career trace back to his origins and have become a formula for and symbol of living and creating. The wise painter talked about all that with ease and some pride, longing, pity, pleasure and with concerns about the present and the future.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Vardanyan, please tell us about yourself and tell us how long have you been in the magical world of painting?

Edik Vardanyan: That is a very hard question. I have been painting as far as I can remember. I was born in Talin. I live in Yerevan, but I have never considered myself a citizen of Yerevan and can’t adapt to the concept of the city. I am completely from Talin and feel like I am in my hometown with my entire essence. I have been painting since childhood, just like almost all children. I studied well in school, but then there came a moment when I became completely obsessed with painting. Painting is an incurable disease that stays within you until the day you die. Many say painting is a profession. I don’t accept that. Painting is a lifestyle. Art is “envious”. If you ignore it and don’t dedicate yourself to the arts unconditionally, it will “slap” you in such a way that you won’t be able to come back to your senses for the rest of your life.

Hayern Aysor: Besides that world, what other field have you imagined yourself in?

E. V.: Nowhere else. I loved literature and have many books. My mother instilled in me the love for literature. I became a painter thanks to my mother. At our home in the village of Talin, there was a beautiful closet in which we would put our clothes. One day, we saw that there were books instead of clothes. We were surprised. My mother told us we can put clothes everywhere, but the important things are books. My mother had a wonderful voice. She got accepted to the Conservatory, but after the outbreak of the war, her parents feared that the war might reach Yerevan and told my mother that she shouldn’t continue her studies. My mother finished her studies in the second year. I remember my mother’s marvelous voice. She would sing so well! She also loved reading. I would always see my mother with a book in her hands. Even on the last day of her life, she had a book beside her. My mother was my first and greatest teacher. That is the kind of environment in which I grew up. That was the reason why when I was serving in the Soviet army, I noticed Yesenin’s book about his great love Shahaneh in my commander’s room. I took it without asking and got punished for that. The commander was surprised because until then, no soldier had paid attention to books. The commander told me that if I had warned him, he would personally give the book to me and sign it. Well, I didn’t know I would be a young boy who was crazy about books.

Hayern Aysor: You have received a great academic and vocational education. Did that education really give you all that you needed to become a painter, or was your talent innate and you didn’t really need an education?

E. V.: I suffered for six years until I got accepted to the university. My teacher was Ara Bekaryan. Talent is innate, but you need to refine it, and that’s where education comes into play. I think nature is like a dictionary. I take whatever I need from it. Receiving an education is mandatory. I don’t know if I am a successful painter or not. If necessary, I also learn from my students. Learning is a lifelong process.

Hayern Aysor: Let’s talk about your exhibitions.

E. V.: I have held many exhibitions, but I have always felt uncomfortable talking about them. I have held about five exhibitions at the Union of Artists of Armenia, Yerevan State Academy of the Arts, the National Gallery of Armenia and at the Union of Artists of Armenia in 2011 and in 2016. Opening an exhibition is very dangerous. You might fail. I am afraid of opening an exhibition now because people might not view my paintings. The result and success of an exhibition is not in the number of paintings. A painter should be able to be presentable. I must say that nobody cares about paintings nowadays.

Hayern Aysor: Where are your paintings? In which collections are they included?

E. V.: They are presented in the state museums of Armenia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine and in private collections in France, Germany, the United States, Finland, England, Canada, Syria and elsewhere. I had paintings that I had even forgotten. In your editorial office, the organizer of my exhibition, my best friend, President of Art-Caucasus Regional Association Marina Yeremyan amazed me when she showed me my painting that was taken to Etchmiadzin years ago in her mobile phone.

Hayern Aysor: Do you have a painting that is the closest to your heart and is a painting that required more efforts and has a unique story behind it?

E. V.: I can’t set aside any painting. They are all precious and close to my heart. I don’t look at paintings like that. An average person is also a creator and a master in his work. I don’t put an equal sign between us. The title of my first exhibition was “I paint lost fairy tales”. I paint a fairy tale, but can’t say which fairy tale is the best. As far as painters are concerned, people might talk about them in 20, 30 or 50 years from now. For instance, people talked about Greco 200 years after his death.

Hayern Aysor: Do you take orders?

E. V.: I used to take orders, but I don’t know if there are any nowadays. If there are, I will gladly take them. I paint many portraits and like to create pictures of artists and writers more. I have painted portraits of Daniel Varoujan, Hovhannes Tumanyan, Avetik Isahakyan, Vahan Teryan, as well as my contemporaries and fellow artists.

Hayern Aysor: Who do you think is a painter? What is his essence?

E. V.: A painter is an enigmatic and inexplicable person. He is always alone in his world. Inside he is a free bird. A painter is a very kind person.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Vardanyan, thank you for your visit, this interesting interview and for adding color to our lives with your paintings. On behalf of the staff at Hayern Aysor, I wish you longevity in life and in the world of arts. I wish you not only paint, but also find all your lost fairy tales.

Karine Avagyan