Every artist creates their own world, their own universe. That world is rooted in real feelings, yet it is no longer reality, because it is not a world in which one could actually live.
Abstract art should not be associated with any particular movement or artistic trend. Every artist—from the creators of prehistoric cave paintings to those of today—has sought to create a personal world, a microcosm unlike the surrounding reality, rather than a mere imitation of life.
In my opinion, Vermeer is one of the painters who remained most faithful to nature, yet he is still far removed from simply copying it. If we were to recreate the setting of one of his paintings with complete accuracy—the background, the costumes, the still life—and then photograph it, we would witness nothing more than a completely abstracted image of nature.
I believe Vermeer is more abstract than Matisse. Artistic "isms," movements, and trends appear and disappear with cosmic speed.
Today's entrepreneurial businessmen have gone so far as to create their own "works" without paints, brushes, or canvas. Can such "art" truly be called fine art?
Every artist will discover what they truly need if they succeed in creating their own world—not by striving to achieve what others have achieved, but by listening more deeply to nature.
A tiny fly is, in its essence, more closely connected to nature than we are, because it remains almost entirely natural and has no awareness of being a fly. We humans, on the other hand, arrogantly believe that we have mastered nature. Today we have advanced technologically, conquered space, flown to the Moon, and imagine that we have mastered and understood the entire universe. Yet, by distancing ourselves from nature, we have created a world surrounded by technology that, unfortunately, does not always serve humanity or life on Earth.
That is why I do not concern myself with the work of my contemporaries. I draw far greater inspiration from Correggio, Millet, and Watteau, who feel much closer to me than, for example, Braque.
Standing before the masterpieces of medieval Armenian architecture, I gain far greater strength...
The photograph features the artist's painting "The Scarlet Red Room."