Dear Mr. Arutyunyan
The following is the English translation of my article (main points).
Armenian artist Rafael Arutyunyan, living in Estonia; His works witness our history, express freedom and dignity of human nature.
Armenian artist (sculptor, painter), Rafael Arutyunyan, who has been living in Estonia during the transition period from a communist society to this modern society of free market economy, had a chance for the first time to exhibit his works without any political restrictions. His works will be important witnesses of his times.
Anityunyan (60) has been engaged in his artistic activities in Tallinn, Estonia for almost 40 years. He is an Armenian, born in Baku, Azerbaijan. But he has worked in Tallinn since he studied at the Estonian State Art University.
As main artists criticized the communist system. Arutyunyan has also satirized and accused of personal alienation in it through his works. He cool-headed gazed into various historical events that annihilated human nature, like genocide in Chile, Afghanistan invasion by the Soviet army, disaster of nuclear power plant in Chernobyl and racial war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He made his images about these historical events and expressed in his sculptures.
Lets see examples! His work, (bronze, 1983), who is a personage of Russian writer. Gorkys work, carved a heros sacrificial love by taking out his heart, stretching out his hand and offering it toward the heaven. And in <karaba, page=”” from=”” the=”” history=”” of=”” my=”” people=””>(wood, 1990) Arutyunyan created a complex of two faces symbolize Armenia and Azerbaijan. A burned candle shows Armenian long suffering history.
Arutyunvans mam motif comes from freedom and dignity of human nature. These are ideas he absolutely trusts It seems that his works were not accepted and recognized by the controlled society like the Soviet Union. However, while Estonia returns to a European free society today, he has an opportunity to exhibit his works in public. In last July, the big exhibition, collected his 111 works, was held at Sakala culture center in Tallinn for 3 weeks. Many guests from foreign embassies of Baltic states, CIS, China and so forth were invited to its opening, and about a thousand people visited his exhibition.
Arutyunyan as an artist is still watching changes in todays society. That society of free market economy after the collapse of the Soviet Union is a self-centered society in pursuit of money. He never wishes to return to the previous communist era. But he said, and deplored,
He sympathizes with the same older people as he. who are miserable in their dairy lives. some live lonely at a care-center, some dont enough money to live. , he said. He is fortunate to be given a nice family-relationship (his wife, Irina, is humble, and his son, Areg, is very faithful to parents. Areg and his wife, Svetlana, have a lovely daughter).
Arutyunyan thinks that the mission of an artist is to gaze into the society and create works as he feels as it is. We hope that Arutyunyan will live in Estonia and his works will be witness of todays society.