Early Life, Family and Training
Leo Krikorian enters the scene in 1922, born in Fresno, California, to Armenian immigrants. His early years are shaped by the grit of the Great Depression, working on farms and in canneries. This labor builds a foundation of resilience before the war interrupts his trajectory. In 1943, the draft pulls him into the U.S. Army. During his service, he finds a new lens through which to view the world, undergoing photographic training that shifts his focus toward the visual arts.
Post-war, the GI Bill provides the means for formal study. Krikorian moves to Los Angeles to attend the Art Center School. Here, he studies photography under the mentorship of Ansel Adams. The technical precision of the camera begins to inform his eye. He does not stay in California for long. Driven by a desire for more progressive philosophies, he makes the cross-country trek to Black Mountain College.
Between 1946 and 1948, the college becomes his laboratory. He studies painting under Josef Albers, absorbing a rigorous formal methodology. At the same time, he receives instruction from Ilya Bolotowsky. The two mentors offer a study in contrasts: Albers provides the theory, while Bolotowsky offers a sense of spontaneity. Krikorian navigates these opposing forces, absorbing the precision of geometric abstraction and the freedom of color to forge his own path.
The Beat Movement and San Francisco
In 1953, Krikorian and Knute Stiles open The Place. It is a hybrid space in San Francisco, functioning simultaneously as a bar, a jazz club, and an exhibition venue. The air in North Beach shifts as the establishment becomes the epicenter for the Beat Movement. It is a central gathering spot where bohemian artists and jazz musicians converge. The venue hosts poets rehearsing their work and provides a stage for the city's avant-garde scene.
The atmosphere is thick with the energy of the era. The Place acts as a catalyst for the local creative community, bridging the gap between the musical improvisations of jazz and the visual experiments of the painters. By 1960, Krikorian decides the scene has changed too much. He closes the venue, moving away from the epicenter of the movement. Following this departure, he shifts his focus toward different ventures, including the operation of a successful deli in Sausalito.
Artistic Technique and Style
Krikorian’s canvases operate through the precision of hard-edge acrylic paintings. He moves within the realm of geometric abstraction, utilizing dynamic symmetry and optical illusion to manipulate the viewer's perception. His compositions do not settle; instead, they explore the tension between color and form to generate a sense of movement and depth. Shapes appear to soar and float, creating a fluctuating space where positive and negative elements interact through reverse symmetry and implied space.
The logic of his work emerges from a specific pedagogical intersection. He synthesizes the formal methodology of Josef Albers with the more spontaneous, less theory-laden approach of Ilya Bolotowsky. This amalgamation results in a visual language where analogous colors meet hard-edged patterns. The paintings function through a constant state of flux, where tension interrupts harmony and chaos provokes the cosmos. There is no quiet moment in the work; visual mayhem erupts just as the eye begins to find stability.
Later Years and Life in Paris
The scene in San Francisco had shifted, and by 1976, Krikorian moved to Paris. He established a studio within a 15th-century building on Rue des Blancs-Manteaux, situated just around the corner from the Pompidou. This setting provided a new backdrop for his continued exploration of form and color.
His presence in the European art circuit grew. He exhibited widely throughout Paris and in museums across Europe. The work continued to circulate through these international venues until his death in 2005.
