Jüri Arrak: A Journey Through His Artistic World

Jüri Arrak (1936 – 2022) was a renowned Estonian painter, graphic artist, and metal and film artist. He completed his studies at the Tallinn Mining Technical School in 1955 and later studied at the Estonian State Art Institute from 1961, graduating in 1966 with a specialization in metal art. As a student, he began to cultivate painting and graphics alongside metal art. His early paintings and prints are flat, while his later works have become spatial. His narrative world is paradoxical, with a recurring masked character that takes on a new meaning depending on the context. His work is narrative, drawing from cultural traditions. Arrak uses archetypes, modifies and parodies revered myth interpretations, and offers new ones. He has been a member of the Artists’ Union since 1969 and belonged to the ANK’64 group. His largest metal composition, Baba-Yaga, was exhibited at the 1970 Osaka World Expo.