Varazdat Samuel "Varaz" Samuelian ( hy, Վարազդատ Սամվելի "Վարազ" Սամվելյան, 1917 – November 7, 1995) was a prominent Armenian American writer, painter and sculptor.

Life and works

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent, Varaz Samuelian was born in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

. His parents were survivors of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

. Samuelian eventually settled in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. During his time in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, Samuelian studied with renowned painters such as

Othon Friesz Achille-Émile Othon Friesz (6 February 1879 – 10 January 1949), who later called himself Othon Friesz, a native of Le Havre, was a French artist of the Fauvist movement. Biography Othon Friesz was born in Le Havre, the son of a long line of ...

, André Lhote and Fernand Léger. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

prisoner of war. Samuelian eventually settled in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1946. When arriving in

he moved to Burlingame to be closer with his brother. It was during this period in his life where he began to paint. He turned his painting hobby into a business as a sign painter. Due to his success as a sign painter, he eventually moved to Belmont,

. Samuelian eventually met his wife Ann there. Abandoned Statue of David of Sassoun

Varaz Samuelian estimated that during his career he created a thousand works of art, including a monumental statue of the Armenian folkloric legend

David of Sassoun David of Sassoun ( hy, Սասունցի Դավիթ ''Sasuntsi Davit also spelled David of Sasun'') is the main hero of Armenia's national epic ''Daredevils of Sassoun'', who drove Arab invaders out of Armenia. Background The ''Daredevils of ...

in front of the Fresno County Courthouse. He is also noted for his bronze bust of

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''T ...

at the entrance of the

Fresno Convention Center The Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Fresno, California. The four-building complex was originally made up of three main venues when completed in 1966, and underwent several expansions with the latest addit ...

. Varaz Samuelian was a writer of several books, including one on his relationship with

entitled ''Willie and Me''. He died on November 7, 1995 at the age of 78.

Legacy

In 1965

wrote a short novel dedicated to Varaz Samuelian entitled ''Who is Varaz?'' The ''Varaz Samuelian Cultural Center,'' named after him, was inaugurated in the village of Artik,

Shirak Province Shirak ( hy, Շիրակ, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north. Its capital and largest city is Gyumri, which is the second largest city ...

, in

on September 1, 2010. The building is 6,000 square feet and serves as a cultural resource center for the village. The center contains an art gallery, auditorium and a computer room.

Writings

*''A history of Armenia and my life: Writing and drawing'' (1978) *''Neutron bomb and what is art'' (1978) *''Circus: 96 water colors'' (1980) *''Willie and Varaz: Memories of my friend William Saroyan'' (1985)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuelian, Varaz American writers of Armenian descent 20th-century American writers 20th-century Armenian painters 20th-century Armenian sculptors Writers from Yerevan French emigrants to the United States Armenian emigrants to the United States People from Fresno, California World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Soviet emigrants to France 1995 deaths 1917 births