Structural and Thematic Characteristics of Hakop Hovnatanyan’s Paintings, the Unknown Painter of Naser Al-Din Shah Qajar’s Court (Before and After Immigration to Iran)

In this study, the paintings of Hakop Honatanian, the unknown painter of Naser-e-Din Shah monarchy are investigated from the structural and thematic characteristics point of view. Contrary of the belief of the majority of art researchers, after the death of Sani-ol-Molk, the one who was appointed as the painter of Naseri monarchy was not Kamal-Al-Molk, but he was Hakop Honatanian, the Armanian painter, after his emigration to Iran. Following the political conflicts of the nineteenth century, Armenia, the Caucasus, and Georgia became parts of Russia. Because of the political evolutions, artists and prominent people especially Armenians concentrated in the city of Tbilisi, thus an improvement was made in the cultural, social and economic levels by the intellectuals at that era. Besides, by gathering of merchants and their trips to European countries, art of European painting entered this area, therefore artists acquainted with the European culture and started to use these new principles. In the sixth decade of the nineteenth century, the artists of the city established union and guild of the Tbilisi Painters which led to the creation of a new art school, so an appropriate space provided to teach and learn art. Concerning these conditions, the new Armenian art was flourished by the first modern artists. Most of these artists painted only face, and the most famous one was Hakop Hovnatanyian. Hakop Hovnatanyian received painting training from his father.  While he was preserving the painting method of his family, he tried to make innovation and creativity in his work, including his art monopoly of drawing a single face and creating a change in this style. Due to the recession and the arrival of the photography profession in the Caucasus, drawing portraits and other figures was no longer affordable and painting was stagnant. The recession and Hakop’s interest in eastern art and artists, especially Iranian art, led to his immigration to Iran in 1239 AD /1865BC and in the end of his life. Considering Nasser Al-Din Shah Qajar's interest in art, Hakop left for Tehran. Because of his genius and talent, he entered the Nasseri court. Hakop Hovnatanian painted a portrait of Nasser Al-Din Shah Qajar that coincided with the death of the painter of Nasseri court, Sani Al-Mulk Ghaffari Kashani. In this research, besides the introducing Hakop Honatanin and his paintings and also try to find the appropriate responses for the research hypothesis based on existence and nonexistence of the new elements in his paintings, it is attempted to evaluate the effects of these new elements on the painting of Nasseri era. Structurally, the new elements observed in the painting of the king in nature and using a weapon to show the power and thematically, after Hakop emigration, these elements expanded in the form of royal, courtly and religious subjects in his paintings. These evidences probably indicates that although Hakob Honatanian was a non-Iranian painter, he had created new visual elements in his works to present his creators by intellectual independence and pay attention to the culture of Nasseri era.