David of Sassoun (statue)

Background and first statue The David of Sassoun statue was first conceived prior to the 1000th-anniversary celebrations of the epic in Soviet Armenia in 1939. Yervand Kochar, who in 1936 became the most prominent artist to move to Soviet Armenia from abroad, Kochar's statue was unveiled in mid-September 1939 in the square in front of the Yerevan Railway Station. It was positioned there so as to greet city visitors, the majority of whom during this period arrived by train. The sculpture stood on a rectangular pedestal. It was the first equestrian monument erected in modern Armenia. The sculpture incorporated both Renaissance and socialist realist elements. The statue was destroyed days after Kochar was arrested on June 23, 1941 Current statue In 1957, on the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution, Soviet authorities decided to restore the statue. The classically-inspired statue disappointed artists who admired Kochar's experimental Parisian work. The anthropologist Adam T. Smith argued that David, along with the contemporary statue of Mesrop Mashtots (1962) in front of the Matenadaran, "commemorates the achievements of a specifically national hero—a hero of Armenia, not Soviet Armenia", while earlier statues in Yerevan commemorated Soviet and Bolshevik leaders. Taline Ter Minassian suggested that it highlights the "exact limits of national expression in the post-Stalinist era." The art critic Hrach Bayadyan noted that the statue, along with the genocide memorial erected in 1965–67, "played a principal role in the symbolic construction of Soviet (Eastern) Armenian identity, connoting the nation's tragedy and rebirth, as well as its longevity and struggle against foreign rule." The art historian Nona Stepanian argued that its small pedestal set a new trend in statues in Yerevan in which they no longer towered over people and streets with their formidable height. Restoration After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic crisis, the statue deteriorated, and the sculpture reportedly began to sway in strong winds. ==Description and symbolism==

The sculpture is made of wrought copper, measures tall, long and wide, Base and pool The statue stands on a tall base, bringing the total height to . It is supported by three points: the horse's two hind legs and the tail. Kochar explained that the proportion was deliberately chosen as raising the base would have disrupted the ensemble of the monument and the railway station. It is placed at the center of a round reflecting pool with a diameter of . The base, made of large blocks of rough grey basalt, was designed by the architect Mikayel Mazmanian, although Kochar conceived the idea of a pedestal from natural rock. It is meant to reflect the landscape of Armenia, especially the rugged terrain of the Sasun region. The water and the round shape of the pool from which David rises symbolize the idea of eternity. At the horse's feet, Kochar placed a bowl (or cup), from which water constantly flows, reflecting the naturalness of the pedestal. A transitional element between the statue and the pedestal, the bowl is also visualization of the Armenian expression "filling the bowl of patience" and a free interpretation of the epic. Kochar likened the pool to a "sea of tears" of the Armenian people. Water, Kochar argued, is not a decorative element, but a necessary component to express the content of the epic. ==Reception==

Official reaction The statue, which earned Kochar a State Prize of the Armenian SSR in 1967, it has acquired an iconic status. The writer and artist Leonid Volynsky described it as the "best equestrian statue erected in [the territory of the Soviet Union] in a century, and perhaps even more" and called it "full of expressiveness, of 'Michelangelesque' irregularities". The painter Lado Gudiashvili found it to be "the best work of contemporary sculpture". The novelist Vasily Grossman wrote that he was "struck by the power" of the "magnificent" statue, noting that it is "full of movement and strength." The scholar David Marshall Lang called it a "spirited masterpiece" and a "fitting symbol of Armenia's national renaissance, and her age long defiance of her foes." The scholar James R. Russell suggested that it is "perhaps the most widely-recognized emblem of Armenia" along with Mount Ararat. The writers Georgi Kublitsky and Zori Balayan both noted that the statue powerfully reflects the "Armenian spirit". The art critic Hernik Igityan argued that it is "not a monument to any individual or event, but to an entire nation" and "embodies the best qualities of the Armenian people." Igityan wrote that it is dear to the heart of Armenians as the Renaissance statues of Verrocchio and Donatello are to Italy or Falconet's Bronze Horseman (1782) is to Russia. The philosopher of art Yakov Khachikian called it an "unparalleled specimen" of Armenian sculpture, admired its richness in expression, dynamism, and power, and compared it favorably to the Bronze Horseman in Saint Petersburg. The literary scholar Aleksandr Dymshits wrote that David, along with Kochar's another Yerevan statue, that of Vardan Mamikonian, is "epically grand and at the same time full of drama, movement, impulse, and passion." The travel writer Nikolai Mikhailov admired how it captures impetuousness like nowhere else. ==Proposals to relocate==

As early as 1998, Armen Shekoyan proposed moving the statue to Republic Square, One proponent, the architect Garri Rashidyan, wrote in his 2007 book that it may be the "best solution for replacing Lenin as the central and focal point of the most important square of our republic." ==Cultural depictions==

• The film studio Hayfilm (formerly Armenfilm) uses the statue as its logo and trademark. • It appears in a painting by Seda Gharagyozyan. ;Stamps and currency • It appeared on 1968 and 1990 Soviet stamps and a 1991 Soviet commemorative coin. • The statue appeared on the obverse of 10 Armenian dram banknotes of the first series (1993–1998), an uncirculated 1994 silver commemorative coin, and a circulated 2012 commemorative 50 dram coin dedicated to Yerevan. • A 2009 Armenian stamp commemorated its 50th anniversary. • Yerevan Metro tokens depict the statue. ;Film • The statue is featured in the 1987 Soviet Armenian film ''''. ;Literature • In his 1983 essay collection entitled Nor Hayastan, nor Hayer (New Armenia, New Armenians), Antranig Dzarugian writes that Armenian national symbols became real, in concrete and bronze, in Lenin's Armenia, including the statue of David of Sassoun. • It is mentioned in the poem "Statues of Haig" by Diana Der Hovanessian included in the collection The Circle Dancers (1996). ==Notes==