Zaruhi Hakobyan, Associate Professor at the Chair of History and Theory of Armenian Art, YSU Faculty of History, delves into medieval sculpture and monumental painting, in particular, the monuments of the early and high middle ages. Her researches are on both iconography and artistic style.
Zaruhi Hakobyan has published articles in high-ranking international journals dedicated to the animal-headed saint - St. Christopher("The Image of St Christopher Cynocephalus in Early Medieval Sculpture of Armenia", "Convivium" scientific journal), as well as very popular symbolic images in medieval art – the personifications of natural elements ("Images-Allegories in the Medieval Sculpture of Armenia and the South Caucasus", "Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art" scientific journal).
"The examination of the images of St. Christopher and allegories lasted for many years, the work proceeded in several stages (10 years and more), moving forward step by step and finding answers to questions. These final articles confidently present a new perspective and introduce interpretations," said the associate professor.
While studying the images of St. Christopher and allegories, Zaruhi Hakobyan examined samples of early medieval sculpture found both in the territory of Armenia and outside of Armenia, for instance, in Western Armenia (now Turkey) and Georgia.
"In the article dedicated to the image of St. Christopher, I came to the conclusion that the animal-headed image corresponds to the dog-headed saint. The latter is the only one who is described with such an unusual appearance and is not associated with the boar-like image of King Trdat (Tiridates), which has been discussed many times before. Therefore, this image has been completely reviewed in the article, and a new viewpoint has been put forward," Zaruhi Hakobyan noted.
Referring to her second article dedicated to the images of allegories, she emphasized that for the first time in Armenian medieval art, an attempt is made to interpret the previously incomprehensible figures depicted as protruding heads.
"An attempt is also made to justify their symbolic character and the fact that they are personifications of natural elements, having parallels in Eastern Christian art and with comparison with other images of Armenian sculpture," she confirmed.
Zaruhi Hakobyan pays great attention to the scientific methodology. She especially highlights the importance of the historical and artistic background of the monuments, the significance of the cultural context of the historical region and era.
"The choice of medieval sculpture and monumental painting conditioned by insufficient study and misunderstanding of many medieval images, so the revision of the latter is required. According to the recent findings, new information and some revised dates of the monuments, new questions and new interpretations put forward," she added.
It’s noteworthy that Zaruhi Hakobyan is the author of more than 60 scientific articles, as well as a dozen encyclopedia materials.
