Since
early
childhood,
Sarkis
Antikajian
had
nurtured
one
paramount
dream:
to
paint,
to
be
an
artist,
to
give
expression to the creative urges in him by metamorphosing them into landscapes, portraits, still lifes.
But
the
fact
that
he
was
growing
up
in
a
part
of
the
world
where
art
took
last
place
to
the
struggle
for
survival,
did
not
prove
easily
conducive
to
the
realization
of
that
dream.
So
he
had
to
bide
his
time
and
be
satisfied
with
continuing
to study, hope and plan.
He
was
born
in
the
Jordanian
capital
of
Amman,
but
spent
part
of
the
formative
years
of
his
childhood
across
the
(Jordan) river, in Jerusalem.
Walking
along
the
cobblestoned
alleys
of
the
Armenian
Quarter
of
the
Old
City,
Sarkis
absorbed
the
unique
ambience
of
the
holy
precinct,
his
keen
eyes
taking
detailed
note
of
the
rarefied
palette
of
the
gold
and
copper
of
the
ancient
walls, the virginal blue of the skies, the red sunsets over the domes, minarets and towers.
It
was
a
heady
education,
an
experience
he
would
later
translate
into
his
prolific
output
as
he
experimented
with
the
immense
variety
of
artistic
expression,
a
lifelong
delight
and
accomplishment
that
resulted
in
a
formidable
portfolio
of
paintings,
and
a
book,
evidence
of
an
artist
who
is
"extraordinary
gifted
and
versatile,
equally
facile
in
several
genres
from
impressionism,
expressionism
to
nonobjective
or
abstract
art,"
in
the
words
of
Shannon
Ray,
director of the Lawrence Gallery in Oregon where Sarkis now lives.
It
was
no
easy
task
to
gain
acceptance,
as
is
usually
the
way
of
life
with
art:
but
assiduous
work
and
self-motivation,
backed
by
timely
opportunity,
provided
by
the
workshops
with
leading
contemporary
artists
that
he
attended,
helped
propel him into the mainstream.
"After
years
of
uncertainty,
at
this
part
of
my
journey,
I
am
pleased
to
call
myself
a
painter
-
and
sometimes,
with
a
smile, an artist," he says.
After graduating, Sarkis worked as a pharmacist (for over 30 years), and raised a family.
"I
cannot
recall
a
day
during
those
years
that
I
did
not
attempt
to
find
ways
on
my
own
to
learn
the
craft
of
drawing
and
painting,,"
he
says.
"Throughout
this
process
of
learning
I
stressed
the
need
to
draw,
not
so
much
to
render
accurately,
but
to
lean
towards
the
gestural
quality
that
I
desire.
This
was
accomplished
through
my
persistent
drawing
of the outdoor landscape, still life setups, or years of weekly drawing from live models."
Looking
at
his
paintings,
one
is
inescapably
drawn
to
a
comparison
with
Van
Gogh.
There
is
the
same
symphony
of
color, the same, call it "abandon", of ritualism.
Examine
his
nudes.
There
is
no
trace
of
lasciviousness
in
the
contours
of
their
limbs,
rather
a
mysterious
essence
that
is as old as humanity.
Sarkis
believes
in
giving
the
viewer
a
mere
suggestion
of
what
is,
or
can
be,
in
tender
watercolor
strokes,
the
way
the
child
puts
out
its
hand
and
touches
its
mother's
cheek
-
can
the
viewer's
response
be
anything
but
the
feeling
of
a
mother for her child?
Some
of
his
pencil
sketches
are
also
reminiscent
of
Norman
Rockwell.
In
his
"Girl
in
Green"
he
has
dwelt
a
little
longer
on
the
face
of
his
model
as
if
coaxing
the
child
concealed
within
the
folds
of
the
canvas
to
come
forth,
and
manifest
itself.
In
"Girl
with
Puppy,"
all
Sarkis
has
to
do
is
angle
one
of
the
girls'
posture
slightly,
to
convey
the
depth
and
nature
of
affection for the animal.
Sarkis
showcases
some
of
his
work
in
a
website,
http://www.sarkisantikajian.com,
and
a
has
encapsulated
an
impressive
gallery
in
a
book,
"Paintings,
Drawings
and
Images
in
Words,"
(available
from
Amazon),
a
celebratory
exposition where he frames his pictures with flights of poetry that reinforce his love of nature.
He remembers one particular outing that says it all:
"It must have been sometime
"in March, on a Saturday afternoon,
"the crocus had broken the soft fertile soil
"to usher a new beginning."
But
it
is
Jerusalem
where
the
heart
returns,
and
he
pays
tribute
to
it
with
bold,
eloquent
strokes
of
a
brush
that
has
succeeded,
with
a
minimum
of
line,
color
and
shade,
in
absorbing
the
mystique
of
that
remarkable
city
and
conveying
it
onto
the
canvas:
see
how
economically
he
has
depicted
the
stones
of
Jerusalem,
letting
his
brush
caress
its
walls,
streets
and
gates
with
soft
fascination:
Sarkis
does
not
want
to
influence
or
instruct
you,
but
rather
to
invite
you
to
discover and experience Jerusalem for yourself, by offering you a portal into its heart.
And what joy will you find in that journey and the exploration.