Inesa Danielyan
Yerevan State University, Armenia
One of the most remarkable names of Armenian medieval art is Momik. He was an architect, sculptor, miniaturist and created carved cross-stones, stately churches and illustrated manuscripts. In each of these areas he acted as an innovator and a consummate master of his craft. The art of Momik has been studied by many scholars. Still there are some unknown aspects of the art of Momik that should be studied in order to get a more complete picture of the artistic heritage of Momik and of the 14th century Armenian art in general. Research in the miniatures of the artist gives new information about transcultural and political interrelations. The iconographic and stylistic analysis can reveal the influence of Cilician miniature painting, as well as that of Byzantine and Western Christian art. The cross-stones of Momik are not only exceptional in the mastery of execution, but also display extraordinary wealth of iconographic programs. The architectural monuments are characterized by their constructive and unique artistic solutions.
The lords of Syunik region — Orbelian princes — patronized and sponsored master Momik, which was a new phenomenon in the culture of medieval Armenia. This feature, as well as his active work and multifaceted talent manifested in different areas of art call to mind some associations with the masters of the Renaissance.