Drawings by Jüri Arrak

November 19, 2019 - January 19, 2020

"Showing his most intimate drawings in public, Arrak insures his status as "immortal," said Mark Soosaar seeing the exhibition in Tallinn. "I suspected Jüri to win a place in the art history of world one day, as I saw his first exhibition through the windows of the art salon in Tallinn one night in the late sixties. Now he has really done it," said Soosaar.

At the exhibition in the Museum of New Art aeonian landscapes vary with ever-present conflicts between living creatures. This is the visual bible of the 21st century, about which art historian Tamara Luuk has said:
"Landscapes in Jüri Arrak’s artworks are presented temporarily, usually just as back-cloth. In advanced age he has done solely a landscape very rarely, but in the years of apprenticeship and on earlier trips as an exercise for his hand. Preparations for the exhibition began from the intention to reduce the significance of the so called ’symbolic persons’ who have declared cosmic truths for long years, and expand the unselfish spirit of life of the city- and landscapes in Arrak’s new drawings. To reflect the talent and crafts of the artist, speaking about his profession silently but sparkingly. Unforunately the curator’s intentions and the artist’s efforts proved a failure, producing a result, put into words by Arrak, without any sorrow, as follows: "An old man does not learn new tricks."

Finally, we made a choice of his drawings of the last five years. If it seems a bit diverse, the author has said consolingly: "There certainly is a link between them and that is me."

The landscapes at this exhibition are wonderfully accomplished exercises for hand and eye made in different times in the Kola Peninsula, Carpathians, Vietnam and France. There are lots of ample valleys and lakes, castles and fortresses where the artist’s hand has tried to capture the grandness seen by eyes, and where the artist’s philosophy does not dictate the semantic field.

Jüri Arrak has worked as freelancer since 1969, next to painting, his artworks consist of graphic art and drawings, illustrations, jewellery, medals, blankets, decorations for films, also numerous speeches and writings – a phenomenon of monologues."

Exhibition IMMORTAL is open from November, 19, 2019 to January, 19, 2020.


The Museum of New Art
Open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Esplanaadi 10, Pärnu
www.mona.ee