Adriano ALPAGO NOVELLO
( 1932 - 2005 )

Within the borders of Armenia lies a treasure store of nearly two millennia of art and architecture. This comprehensive and richly illustrated volume brings together some of the finest, most typical examples of Armenian art in all its variety, and, through the illustrations and the many essays devoted to history, art, and sociology, the reader is presented with a panoramic overview of the many cultural influences that have swept this relatively small nation.
Bordering northwestern Turkey, Armenia bridges the East and West, and its culture is a synthesis of those diverse worlds. Taking elements from Byzantium, Sassanid Persia, Egypt, and Islam, Armenian art and architecture translated these styles into an immediately recognizable visual and structural language. Churches incorporated prismatic angles and bore cone shaped cupolas; their outer walls were enriched by sculptural decorations of unusual distinction. Manuscript illumination reached a high level in which many stylistic influences joined. Thorough investigation of Armenian art has only been undertaken during the recent decades, and this volume incorporates much new information. It will be of particular interest to the many thousands of Armenians living in the United States who follow their traditions and continue the rich cultural heritage of their origin.