VERA ARUTYUNYAN – INTERVIEWED BY SIMONE CAPPA

NY Arts Magazine, NY
June 25 2007

Armenian-born, Los-Angeles-based artist Vera Arutyunyan combines
primary colors and an aggressive brushstroke style toward a decidedly
contemporary version of Abstract Expressionism. Although the masters
of the 50s like Pollock and de Kooning created a similar aesthetic
40 years prior, Vera’s emotionally charged paintings appear forever
in the moment. The artist’s vigorous and defined brushstrokes are
charged with the very energy of her technique-the very motions of her
wrist. In total, they are primary color-infused visions of action
painting forever frozen in time. If every element of the artist’s
application process is clearly readable upon her finished canvas,
Vera means it that way. Highly conscious of all those masters who have
tried their hand at the blank canvas before her, Vera paints on, and
with a vengeance that brings the viewer up-to-date. Somewhere between
the mist of Turner and the drips and splashes of Rauschenberg, Vera
stands tall on today’s contemporary art scene for her reinvigoration
and renewal not only of a painting style, but also a frame of mind.

Simone Cappa: Can you name or describe some of your influences as a
painter-whether they are other artists, concepts, styles, techniques,
etc.?

Vera Arutyunyan: I am influenced by all that is created by God.

Aren’t we all? Every leaf on the tree, every cloud in the sky,
every insect or animal, every footstep in the sand-aren’t they an
inspiration enough to make one’s mind fly so high into the world
outside of ours, the world where you have an answer for everything
and it feels wonderful?

SC: Are your creations completely abstract or do they stem from reality
in some way? In other words, how do your works relate to the visible
world as we see it on a daily basis? Could these works also represent
the dream world?

VA: My creations stem from comprehension of everything that I
envision in my own spiritual and emotional world. My own encounters
with the philosophical content of life and the emotional resonance
of all that surrounds me led me to incorporate colors that emerge in
words sometimes more powerful than those of spoken out loud. Is my
art abstract? It is as abstract as my dream world.

SC: How do you see your style of painting as having evolved during
the course of your artistic career?

VA: Over the years, my form of expression, through mind and words,
melded with the very brushes I used, and became one.

SC: Do you believe this evolution complete?

VA: This evolution is not just one that deals with art but has become
part of myself-in essence, as grows my art so does my soul. I plunge
into my subconscious world when I paint. If only I can regain the
ability to draw upon super-consciousness, this would therein never
cease to evolve until I cease as well.

SC: How often do you immerse yourself in the world of painting? Is
it a daily process, or do you give yourself a little time in between
each canvas?

VA: The world of painting is the primary plane on which I live.

Though I may not be physically in front of a canvas, in my mind I am
always surrounded by a play of colors.

SC: Can you briefly outline the general process and technique that
you employ for each of your vibrant paintings?

VA: The technique I employ is one of blind creativity, beginning with
brushes, then using my very hands as the medium. In a whirlwind of
empty paint tubes, with the drumming of a familiar symphony in the
background embodying the tempest of my own emotions, coming to life.

SC: How does your Armenian background figure into your unique
creations?

VA: You can tell a lot about an artist by their painting. As for my
own, I feel that my culture does not scream but whispers in the very
palette of colors I use. The rich textures unwittingly carry through
my ancient culture, with its vibrant history and strong faith. It is
not a byproduct of my culture, but an instinct that brings it to life.

SC: In your paintings on display at Broadway Gallery this past spring,
I discovered a primarily red-based palette. Is there something to
your predominant incorporation of this strong color into your works,
or was this choice of color completely arbitrary?

VA: If anything, the predominant incorporation of the red-based palette
has chosen me. I have no control over which color the eye of my mind
sees. It is the same with a musician who writes a symphony and not
once stops to analyze the notes with which he plays, but only hears
the melody.

SC: In addition to your use of vivid colors in your works on view in
New York recently, your brushstrokes are similarly strong and even
aggressive in affect. Where is all this power coming from and what
do you hope the viewer will see here?

VA: The trials and tribulations of everyday life have only spurred me
to find strength and passion through my faith and my art. I paint to
deliver myself quite spontaneously of a spiritual world, which I carry
within myself. I am hoping to be understood and for my paintings to
obtain identity and significance, for them to become securely existent.

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