Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Jirayr Zorthian

Summary

(Electronic Resource)

Oral history interview with Jirayr Zorthian, 1997 January 28-July 9, Transcript
Collection ID:
AAA.zorthi97
Creators:
Zorthian, Jirayr
Karlstrom, Paul J.
Dates:
1997 January 28-July 9
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
90 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Jirayr Zorthian conducted 1997 January 28-July 9, by Paul J. Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at Zorthian's home and studio, in Fair Oaks, California.
Scope and Contents
Zorthian describes his property, Art Ranch, and its meaning to him; his personal and educational background, including studying at Yale; early mural work and his inspiration to move west; settling in Altadena, California in 1945; his description of his property as "The Center for Research and Development of Industrial Discards with Emphasis on Aesthetics"; bohemianism and his desire to stay free of conventions of work; friendships with artists and socially prominent people.
Scope and Contents
He discusses a profile of him in L.A. Weekly, by Dave Gardetta; his antipathy towards galleries and his "outsider" relationship to the artworld; his recent nude drawings and paintings, the Jennifer Series, and his views the work illustrates social themes and celebration of the body; and his self-concept as an artist and perceptions of him and his work.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Jirayr Zorthian (1911-2004) was a painter from California.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by Pasadena Art Alliance

Digital Content

(Electronic Resource)

Oral history interview with Jirayr Zorthian, 1997 January 28-July 9, Transcript

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Jirayr Zorthian, 1997 January 28-July 9, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 41 min.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- California -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
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