24 Facts About Martiros Saryan

Martiros Saryan's works were mainly inspired by his travels to Armenia and the Middle East.

Martiros Saryan permanently moved to Armenia after the establishment of ASSR.

Martiros Saryan's works were exhibited in Moscow, Venice, Yerevan, Paris, Brussels and other cities.

Martiros Saryan is famous for his work in theater, especially his set and costume designs for many prominent plays and operas such as "Almast," "Davit Bek," and so on.

Martiros Saryan was born into an Armenian family in Nakhichevan-on-Don, where Armenians from Crimea lived.

Martiros Saryan was the seventh child of Sargis Saryan and Ustian Chiligaryan.

Martiros Saryan received early education from his eldest brother, Hovhannes Saryan, who taught him Armenian and Russian writing and basic math.

Martiros Saryan spent his childhood in his father's khutor, 40 kilometers from the city.

Martiros Saryan immediately fell in love with her and married her a year later, on April 17,1916.

Martiros Saryan's former home in Yerevan is a museum dedicated to his work with hundreds of items on display.

Martiros Saryan was buried in Yerevan at the Pantheon next to Komitas Vardapet.

Martiros Saryan's son Ghazaros Saryan was a composer and educator.

Martiros Saryan's great-granddaughter Mariam Petrosyan is a painter, as well as a cartoonist and award-winning novelist.

Martiros Saryan first visited Armenia, then part of the Russian Empire, in 1901, visiting Lori, Shirak, Echmiadzin, Haghpat, Sanahin, Yerevan and Sevan.

Martiros Saryan started his artistic research aiming for an inspiration from his homeland, which he was seeing for the first time.

From 1928 until his death, Martiros Saryan lived in Soviet Armenia.

Martiros Saryan studied at the New Nakhichevan Russian-Armenian College for six years, completing his education there in 1895 at the age of 15.

Martiros Saryan was heavily influenced by the works of French artists Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse, who drew their inspiration from the East.

Martiros Saryan composed his first landscapes depicting Armenia: Makravank, 1902; Aragats, 1902; Buffalo.

Martiros Saryan, who had previously assisted with the theater's interior design, accepted the position after an invite and officially joined the staff.

Martiros Saryan made a proposal for the flag of this independent Armenia based on the colors and designs of traditional Armenian fabrics and carpets, although his design was rejected.

Martiros Saryan was chosen as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and was awarded the Order of Lenin three times along with other awards and medals.

Martiros Saryan was a member of the USSR Art Academy and Armenian Academy of Sciences.

In 1939, Martiros Saryan designed the set and costumes for "Almast" by Alexander Spendiaryan, the first opera staged in Armenia.