Atom Hovhanesyan
“Through Divisionism to Expression”
(August 19, 1981 in Yerevan, Armenia – May 10, 2018 New York) was a self-taught artist that worked and lived in New York. Atom refined and continued developing the post divisionism technique in painting and ink drawings. His creations attempted to tell a story or a path that the eye would take through the painting or drawing.
2009-2013 Autodidactic Study
Heavily influenced by De Kooning and Kandinsky
Studied color theory and Kandinsky’s theory on design
2013-2015 National Academy of New York
Studied under Phil Michelson.
Focus on anatomy, life drawing from the figure.
2015-2017 Art Students League of New York
Studied under Michael Grimaldi, Tom Torak and Dan Thompson
“I developed and refined my Post Divisionist style and technique in a series of paintings of women and landscapes. My goal was to utilize the entire surface of the Post-Impressionist, Cubist, Futurist, and Abstract Expressionist’s color theory, optics, and composition heavily influenced my Post Divisionist style and technique canvas to challenge the viewer’s perception of negative space while borrowing from the Cubist approach to composition. Figures and forms are woven into the fabric of the plane so that space warps into figures and form. The juxtaposition of complimentary colors of thinly applied brushstrokes, over each other, creates a mesh-like pattern, so that figures rise or recede, at times becoming almost invisible.
In the painting process, repetitive crosshatching allows the subconscious to direct the composition, creating tension between the desire to hide vs the need to reveal, conflict between subconscious and self-conscious arises. The eye creates a path as it views and moves through the painting and the subconscious and conscious mind detects bits and pieces of thoughts, emotions and or memories that become a unified epilogue that’s open to interpretation.
Working with ink, in the same technique and style as my Post Divisionist paintings, multiple layers of crosshatching creates a play between light and texture. The seemingly chaotic use of crosshatched lines is intentional, like the Impressionist’s use of ink, while surreal and symbolic”.
Website: artbyatom.com
Instagram: @artbyatomhov
Facebook: Atom Hovhanesyan
