Armen Gasparian's works created in the style of “metaphysical symbolism” are a reflection on the essence of things, the meaning of Being, the search for a wisdom and truth. Who are we? Where are we from? And where are we going?
There are many mysteries in the world, and the very process of life and creativity is a process of cognition, which is endless. The motives of the Tower of Babel, the House of Cards, the Harlequin with masks, the Chess game, the Trojan horse are different themes of one Magnum Ignotum ("Magnum Ignotum" - the great unknown)
The seasons
Winter
Spring
"Tempus fugit, aeternitas manet"
"Tempus fugit, aeternitas manet" - Time flies, eternity awaits. The recurrence of time is another theme that Armen Gasparian addresses in his art.
With the withering of one, the other is born. Nothing dies, everything is only being transformed.
The seasons is an allegory of a human life. Humans also go through different stages of life. Blooming spring is always preceded by a quiet, cold winter, after a sunny summer we receive generous gifts of autumn. This is the wisdom of nature - one is transformed into the other.
Autumn
Summer
Ouroborus, a snake biting its tail, is also known as a symbol of recurrence of time, alternation of creation and destruction, life and death, constant rebirth and death. Ouroborus symbolizes a constant movement of the cosmos, personifies eternity and the universe.
Only together, the four seasons make up the complete cycle of the cosmic circle.
Magnum Ignotum
De rerum natura
Fortune's Wheel
"Mundus universus exercet histrioniam"
"Mundus universus exercet histrioniam" - all humanity practices the art of acting.
People trying on masks implies that the whole world is a theater, we all play roles and change masks. The King becomes a Jester and vice versa. We all practice the art of acting.
Fortune is changeable, sometimes we don't decide which mask to wear, but the circumstances dictate to us. If today you have the mask of the king, don't forget that tomorrow you can fall down. Everything changes and everything returns to normal, there is nothing permanent except its own "I", but it also changes over time.
Not everything depends on human desires, there is a certain chain of coincidences, an unknown game or fate that cannot be ignored when planning for the future.
"Hodie caesar, cras hinil"
"Hodie Caesar, cras nil" - today a Caesar, tomorrow nothing. We see a king with a jester in a reflection, which implies an inconstancy of life and vicissitudes or fate.
Another common image in Armen Gasparian's art is a monkey. Monkey is a symbol of our connection with nature, our animal instincts hidden in every human being.
The monkey either blows soap bubbles, symbolizing the transience of life, or sits chained to the globe. A key chained to the glove implies a soul trapped in a human body.
A reflection
Temptation
Two cities
A man and a woman
A game
illusionist
Vanitas
"Vanitas vanitatum, omnis vanitas"
"Vanitas vanitatum, omnis vanitas" - Vanity or vanities, all is vanity.
Vanitas symbolizes the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death.
Common symbols of vanitas include hourglasses which is a reminder of a brevity of life, bubbles (the brevity of life and suddenness of death), musical instruments (brevity and ephemeral nature of life), as well as fruits, flowers and butterflies which can be interpreted in the same way.
Capricorn (From the Zodiacs series)
Scorpio (From the Zodiacs series)
The tree of life
Theater
A battle
Dreaming about an adventure
The annunciation
Avalon
The nest
Centaur and a woman
The bowl of life
A chess game
The island
Equilibrium
Two monkeys
Hourglass
