Oral history interview with Jirayr Zorthian
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 41 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Zorthian, Jirayr
label: Interviewer
content: Karlstrom, Paul J.
topic: label: Topic
content: Painters -- California -- Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: 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
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Zorthian, Jirayr
label: Interviewer
content: Karlstrom, Paul J.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Jirayr Zorthian (1911-2004) was a painter from California.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 90 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1997 January 28-July 9
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.zorthi97
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: 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.
label: Scope and Contents
content: 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.
label: Scope and Contents
content: 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.