Wales and Armenia twinned in Senedd’s landscape paintings
An exhibition of paintings at the Senedd illustrates the close ties between Wales and Armenia, explains Martin Shipton
WALES and Armenia are roughly the same size in terms of population – and a compelling exhibition of impressionist paintings near the Senedd’s public café shows how there are strong similarities between the countries’ hilly landscapes too.
A number of books have been written about the links that have been established between the two nations: their common ecclesiastical heritage, for example.
The pictures, curated by Welsh Armenian couple Gary and Mariam Torosyan, sometimes leave the viewer wondering which country is being depicted.
Some of the paintings on display are the work of Mariam, who was born in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, and who trained in art school in Russia.
Gary, who was born in Cardiff and whose father, John, is an energetic spokesman for the small Welsh Armenian community, said: “It’s a collection of mostly Armenian artworks, which are here to show Armenian culture and the Armenian style of painting. Some of the artists are quite well known in Armenian circles, while some are not so well known.
“The most prominent is probably Lems Nersisyan, and there’s also Faenberg Sargsyan. Their paintings are not that valuable at the moment, but hopefully one day they will be.
“Most of the paintings are impressionistic landscapes. There are a couple of caricatures too.
“We also included some paintings by Llinos Thomas, the daughter of Canon Patrick Thomas of Carmarthen [who has written two books about Armenia]. We’ve tried to put a few paintings in that show the link between Wales and Armenia.”
A couple of scenes painted by Mariam – one of Armenia, the other of Wales – are very similar, especially given her style of painting.
There are also Welsh crosses and Armenian crosses in the exhibition, demonstrating the similar Christian heritages of the two countries.
Mariam said: “If you see the colours of the paintings, you can understand how similar the mountain landscapes are in both countries.”
Gary said: “I liken the Brecon Beacons to the Armenian Highlands. If you get a hot summer in Wales, then the Brecon Beacons turn all yellow. It’s exactly what happens in Armenia. Because it’s a lot warmer climate you get it every year there.
“It’s a mountainous country – so is Wales. It’s about the same size and people don’t look that different.
“I don’t know if there’s a proven link, but it’s been said the Welsh and Armenians come from the same people a very long time ago. One comparison is certainly the friendliness of the people. For us, as a community, we certainly feel very at home here.
“There have been Armenians living in Wales for many years: there was certainly a community here before my grandfather came. They moved to Wales in the 1970s, although they lived in the UK from the 1960s. What’s nice about Cardiff is it’s very similar to Yerevan in terms of population.”
■ The exhibition can be seen until May 25.