Artist Arman Manookian designed Christmas cards for the belated Star Bulletin. Like this one. So he wasn’t a great speller! It’s still a beautiful romanticized holiday view of Hawai‘i. On view now in Meaning in Color/Expression in Line: Arman Manookian’s Modernism.
This pen-and-ink drawing is outlandishly stylized and romanticized—John Barrymore as King Kamehameha or what? But in the context of the exhibition, the piece, called Romance in Hawaii, is key in seeing the progression of Manookian’s work. From cornball colonialist illustrations to singular modernist paintings that use Hawai‘i as a jumping off point. This one looks like he saw a little Aubrey Beardsley, don’t you think?
Theresa Papanikolas, Curator of European and American Art, organized this tightly focused mini-exhibition of Manookian’s work, gathering together works from different sources, including the Academy’s own collection. It’s a rare chance to see an intriguing slice of Hawai‘i art history.
The Manookian pen drawing appeared in the July, 1927 edition of “Paradise of the Pacific” to illustrate a poem by Will Sabin who was the magazine’s editor.
“ROYAL ROMANCE”
Alone, in her very swift canoe,
…Knowing the stars and the way of the sea,
Kelea, whose loveliness teased the gods,
Adventured to find what her fate might be.
Malamakua beheld her come;
Her in his dreams full oft he’d seen;
Gave her a kiss — and his feather cloak;
Carried her home and made her queen.
Thanks for that explanation John! Everyone else, you can learn more about Manookian by reading John Seed’s article “Lost Genius” in the current issue of Maui Magazine
http://bit.ly/ajjMwS
Armen did some really stunning work.
@Lesa John’s article was great and definitely go a better intro to it all.