Armand Tatossian who was of Armenian heritage, was born in Egypt in 1951 and he moved to Montreal with his family as a boy. His father, Charles Garo Tatossian, became a Canadian artist. A grandfather was an artist and a curator at the Alexandria National Museum, while an uncle was also an artist. In 1973 he was accepted in to Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A) – the youngest member ever accepted. Tatossian’s early teacher was Adam Sherriff-Scott, a member Beaver Hall Hill Group initially considered to be a Montreal counterpart to Toronto’s Group of Seven
Introduced to art at a young age, Armand Tatossian began pursuing his passion, learning from his father and seeking instruction in Canada and abroad. The young artist also went to Paris to study with Jean Carzou and he painted with Jean Paul Riopelle in 1975. Armand Tatossian’s style and use of colour puts him firmly in the Quebec School of Canadian painting, but the influence of the Group of Seven can also be seen. He liked to paint plein air landscapes, using thick, aggressive brush strokes. His paintings are heavily textured and vibrantly coloured, and Armand Tatossian devoted considerable time to the study of light. Besides his landscapes, which he is probably best known for, Armand Tatossian also painted scenes of Quebec life: kids playing hockey on frozen ponds, city life, snow-covered streets, country villages. He also painted still lifes and nudes. His landscapes with colorful foliage are particularly striking.
Studied at
Collections
Concordia University, Montreal
McGill University, Montreal
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Musee du Quebec, Quebec,
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
National Gallery of Greece, Athenes
National Museum of Art, Armenia