Martiros Manoukian showed an expression nature from his birth in 1947 in Armenia. As a child, he was full of life and adventure, often rebellious against anything “collective” by nature. This often led to creative expressions, training and refining his artistic skills intuitively and unconsciously. His natural talent earned him a place in the Academy of Art in Yerevan directly after high school in 1967, and the formal training he received there further molded and refined his style.

This style shows evidence of Martiros training and his cultural background, as well as religious icons he derives from his experience with the Russian Orthodox Church. It is his passion for life, though, that speaks to most viewers. While Martiros rarely discusses his art, but when he does, the powerful emotions that drive his work are evident. “I enjoy mixing media because art is freedom, my feelings, my victory, I do not actually know what I feel when I paint; I just paint my mood, a feeling that camera’s eye cannot catch, some special, subtle angle that perhaps others would not see.” Just as in he did in his youth, Martiros uses art as tool for expression, adventure, and freedom.