Courtyard in Nork 

Gohar Fermanyan painted "Courtyard in Nork" using oil, though we don't know exactly when. The scene depicts an everyday view of a house in Nork, likely in Armenia, where Fermanyan lived and worked. While the painting seems straightforward, it reflects shifts in Soviet artistic policies during the mid-20th century. Fermanyan was trained in the formalist avant-garde, but by the 1930s, Soviet authorities were repressing modernism in favor of Socialist Realism, an aesthetic that represented socialist values and a 'realistic' depiction of everyday life. The painting may be read as a response to the cultural politics of the time. It is neither radical nor overtly political, but it doesn’t ignore the world around it. It is a personal vision of an intimate space. By researching the Soviet cultural policies and artistic movements during Fermanyan's career, we can better understand how social and institutional contexts shaped her artistic production. This kind of work is central to art history, which recognizes the power of art to both reflect and challenge its time.