Antaramian-Hofman Receives Outstanding Thesis Award

Emma Shaljyan
Staff Writer

There are certain images that stay with us throughout our lives. Some we witness, others we see in the form of paintings. For Hazel Antaramian-Hofman, one such image was the royal portrait of King Gagik-Abas of Kars, found in the 11th century Gospel of King Gagik of Kars.

Hofman first saw this image in an “Arts of Armenia” course taught by Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, but did not realize the impact it would have on her life until two years later. It was this image that would be the basis for her graduate thesis in the Department of Art and Design.

In May of 2012, Hofman’s thesis, “An Interpretation of Textile Wealth in the Eleventh-Century Armenian Miniature Family Portrait of King Gagik-Abas of Kars” received the Outstanding Thesis Award from the College of Arts and Humanities.
Dean Vida Samiian announced the award and stated, “Ms. Hofman’s research and analysis of a unique illumination from an 11th century Armenian manuscript is remarkably distinguished. Not only is her research thorough, but she also uses all the analytical tools at her disposal to find strong evidence for its political and historical value based on an understanding of the textiles portrayed. Ms. Hofman makes a significant contribution toward understanding the historical dynamic that pertained at that time between two significant but different monarchies—of which little else is known. The committee felt her work worthy of a Ph.D. dissertation.”

Not only did Hofman receive an award for her research, but the work also brought her closer to her Armenian heritage.
When Hofman was accepted into the Department of Art and Design, she took a class on “Medieval Women of Europe” that sparked her interest in the image she had seen years earlier.

Hofman was intrigued by the portrait of the royal family and wondered if there was more to be learned about the image. It was then she decided to make it her focus for further research.

To add to the research already done on the image, Hofman concentrated on the image of the Armenian queen Gorandukht and the true impact and power she possessed. While conducting her research, Hofman found that the textiles in the image also played a significant role—they were a reflection of wealth and status.

Hofman’s current project is research on the Armenian repatriation movement, utilizing photographs and paintings that she has created.

Hofman plans to have it ready to exhibit by 2015, the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.