Linnaleht 09.08.02
Rafael Arutyunyan, who has for 33 years made mainly dramatic sculpture, opened his exhibition of paintings and drawings on the first floor of the Old Town Theatre House. 230 of his works of last years have been exhibited. This is also his birthday exhibition since the artist celebrated his 65th birthday on July 24. In the same hall Arutyunyan had his exhibition of sculptures in 1997.
The southern temperament and the hand and soul of a sculptor can be clearly felt with the drawings and paintings of the artist. The works are predominantly romantic by nature.
“We discussed with my son that if I continue working the same way for five years until my 70th jubilee, we shall probably not be able to find a hall of suitable size to hold the exhibition. Therefore we already made the exhibition of five years,” said the artist, who graduated from ERKI in 1964 as a sculptor. But sculpting became hard at the end because his hand fell ill and Arutyunyan decided to try drawing and painting.
The first works after sculpting was “Flowers of the LAND” which Rafael invited his whole family to see, in order to know if there was any sense in continuing to paint. The second work, “Icons in the Vast,” already has much more courage in it.
Arutyunyan has equally painted his acquaintances-relatives and a homeless person. His paintings are more like collages. “I always want to add something to the paintings, I am a former sculptor, an object, cross or these letters here are exactly the raisin in the work,” explained Rafael Arutyunyan by pointing to his work. “I have to have something in it which is out of balance,” he explained. And this certain object is always added exactly where it is most needed for the stress. Even portraits have been supplemented by marks, jewellery, objects and symbols that give information about the field of activity of the person, his personal qualities or mental situation. From this point of view they can even be named modern icons.
Arutyunyan has promised to give these paintings after the exhibition to the people who are close to the artist and whose portraits are hanging at the exhibition.
The exhibition of paintings and drawings of Rafael Arutyunyan in the Old Town Theatre House will be open until August 19 every day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kai Ilustrumm