In many ways the name Arrak has obtained a somewhat symbolic meaning in Estonian art scene. It is probably inevitable that here, too, first of all Jüri Arrak and his unmistakably original work comes to mind. And although there is no reason to speak at length about Jüri Arrak at this point, there still is a bond between Arrak and Arrak, and an extremely close one.

Arno Arrak, the son of Jüri Arrak was born in 1963 in Tallinn. His father was the one to provide him with his first knowledge about art. Later Arno furthered his learning in various courses at Estonian National Art Institute, in St. Petersburg and Toronto. At the end of the 1980s the artist left Estonia. At first he settled in Sweden, later in Canada and USA where he resides today and works as an artist.

As a creator the thing that makes Arno Arrak special is his peculiar work method. It is a one-of-a-kind painting technique developed by the artist himself that can be called watercolour-monotype and has attracted considerable attention due to its blending of colours, technical intricacy and elegance.
The exhibition called “Evening Reflections” presents the unique painting technique, the watercolour-monotype to the fullest, except for one experimental oil painting that consists of two separate parts united into a whole by the same notion. The author painted them right before the exhibition in Estonia so their colours are still aglow with newness. Most of the works on display have been created during the last couple of years, pondering about the shadows of the meditative state of mind so characteristic of Arno Arrak.

There are people for whom interpreting the world through art is a necessity; there are those who do that by creating art and those who do that by watching it. Arno Arrak definitely belongs among the first ones and has said: “After a long break I felt like and wanted to devote myself to art more thoroughly once again. Inspiration for this exhibition has been derived from many meditations on the ocean shore in Oregon watching the movement and changes of the sky, and also from the long-lasting and emotional colours of the sunset that are so characteristic to Estonia.”

Although the author lets himself to be inspired by nature yet his watercolours are not merely blended lines of colour creating landscapes, sunrises, sunsets, rainy cloudscapes or the glowing evening horizons that are cooling off from the heat-radiating day. For the artist the colours and landscapes are only the means for opening the deeper inner worlds of thought, insights into oneself through beautiful vision-like nature. The artist tries to find the way to reach the deep harmony of the soul; tries to find the way to take him through the different states of the soul and which direction might be overwhelming peace merging into one with the world in some far-away distance. Peace that can be captured for a moment only and that through weathers, moods and emotions is fleeting and imaginary yet constant and real at the same time. Just like a moment that today at the end of the day can be unexpectedly long and seem like an instant tomorrow.