Jüri Arrak
(1936–2022)
Europe. 1974
Linocut, color pencil. Km 20.9 x 26.2 cm (framed)
price 3 800
The ancient Greek myth of the Phoenician princess Europe, abducted by the arch-god Zeus, who had transformed into a bull, is a powerful sexual, psychoanalytical, political, even geographical archetype that has been depicted extensively in international art over the centuries. At this point in time, it is even an official story: the motif appears on the reverse of the Greek euro coin. The motif is also shown in the emblematic sculptures hanging at the EU headquarters in Brussels and Strasbourg. Jüri Arrak’s graphic sheet is dramatic in both colour and design, and belongs unmistakably to Jüri Arrak’s authorship. It is to be expected that the masculine initiative in this story appeals to men, being a princess appeals to women. The situation thus remains ambivalent and does not lend itself to overly unambiguous interpretations.