Karen Arakel

Karen Arakel (ARAQEL) was born in 1960, Tbilisi, Georgia and moved to Yerevan (where he has been residing ever since) when he was 1,5 years old. He has been painting since the age of 4. After graduating high school, Karen Arakel was admitted to Fine Arts and Theater Institute of Yerevan into Ceramics Faculty, however not satisfied with the teaching approach, in the third year he left the Institute and continued to study art on his own. He learned his remarkable technique on his own, through studying paintings of artists who came before him. His painting style has changed numerous times throughout his career. Currently his genre is closest to the style of Renaissance. Open to influences, the artist simultaneously and conscientiously identifies and defines the arts, periods and artists who are close to him in spirit, artistic approach, vision, and aesthetic ethos. Encounters with cultures of different eras and exploration of issues these cultures raise becomes an important tool in finding the clue to his own creativity. For this purpose, the artist has examined and analyzed many different movements and styles such as Dadaism, Symbolism, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, Post-Surrealist Modernism in addition to Archaic, Hellenistic, Classical and Renaissance arts over the years, and ultimately produced works with his own interpretation. Karen Arakel's approach of seemingly looking towards the past but taking a step forward, is also one of the most important reasons for the variety of style the artist has developed. Signing his works under the moniker ARAQEL, the artist thoroughly investigated the pictorial arts of different countries, honing his skills and mastering various graphic and drawing techniques, including Sumi-e, also known as the ink wash painting style originating from Japan and China, which he has synthesized with Western modern art, forming the basis of his oeuvre.