[18][3][c] It featured several speakers, including the literary scholar and writer Gevorg Abov, the sculptor Grigor Aharonian, a factory lathe operator, and a ninth grade student.

[14] On the other hand, the Russian literary scholar Lev Ospovat quoted Kochar, whose artistic style was more abstract and enigmatic, as saying that he created the statue to gain recognition, rather than as an expression of his personal creativity.

"[23] The art critic Hrach Bayadyan noted that the statue, along with the genocide memorial erected in 1965–67, "played a principal role in the symbolic construction of Soviet (Eastern) Armenian identity, connoting the nation's tragedy and rebirth, as well as its longevity and struggle against foreign rule.

"[24] The art historian Nona Stepanian argued that its small pedestal set a new trend in statues in Yerevan in which they no longer towered over people and streets with their formidable height.

[26] After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic crisis, the statue deteriorated, and the sculpture reportedly began to sway in strong winds.

[3] David, with a heavily muscled physique,[35] is mounted on his legendary horse K’urkik Jalali ("fiery colt") and wields his t’ur ketsaki ("lightning sword").

[f][44][35] Kochar explained that the large size of the horse's tail, its lack of reins and bit, and its anthropomorphic and supernatural qualities were as narrated in the epic.

[16] The base, made of large blocks of rough grey basalt,[49] was designed by the architect Mikayel Mazmanian, although Kochar conceived the idea of a pedestal from natural rock.

[76] The writer and artist Leonid Volynsky described it as the "best equestrian statue erected in [the territory of the Soviet Union] in a century, and perhaps even more" and called it "full of expressiveness, of 'Michelangelesque' irregularities".

[69][l] The architects Artsvin Grigoryan and Martin Tovmasyan suggested that the sculpture is "remarkable for its expressive dynamism and stylistic balance" and "aligns harmoniously in style and artistic interpretation with the station's calm and monumental architecture.

"[34] Rouben Paul Adalian noted that the "dynamic and forceful" statue is "such a compelling work of sculpture that the image became an emblematic portrait" of Soviet Armenia.

[81] The scholar David Marshall Lang called it a "spirited masterpiece" and a "fitting symbol of Armenia's national renaissance, and her age long defiance of her foes.

[53][75] The art critic Hernik Igityan argued that it is "not a monument to any individual or event, but to an entire nation" and "embodies the best qualities of the Armenian people.

"[85] Igityan wrote that it is dear to the heart of Armenians as the Renaissance statues of Verrocchio and Donatello are to Italy or Falconet's Bronze Horseman (1782) is to Russia.

[85] The philosopher of art Yakov Khachikian called it an "unparalleled specimen" of Armenian sculpture, admired its richness in expression, dynamism, and power, and compared it favorably to the Bronze Horseman in Saint Petersburg.

[14][o] The literary scholar Aleksandr Dymshits wrote that David, along with Kochar's another Yerevan statue, that of Vardan Mamikonian, is "epically grand and at the same time full of drama, movement, impulse, and passion.

He emphasized that, unlike its current location, which had become an ordinary residential area due to the decline in train arrivals, the statue would become a focal point, visible to all visitors.

[91][92] One proponent, the architect Garri Rashidyan, wrote in his 2007 book that it may be the "best solution for replacing Lenin as the central and focal point of the most important square of our republic.

"[89] In 2013, Diana Ter-Ghazaryan noted that David of Sassoun would be a safe choice because of the epic hero's fundamentally apolitical nature and his statue at Yerevan's central square would be acceptable to most Armenians, but considered the relocation unlikely.