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Overview
“There is more to art than simply trying to compose an image. The actual process of creating an image is just as important as its outcome and the ability to observe the world in a unique manner, may introduce greater sensitivity and maturity to the work"
Aris Raissis was born in Cairo in 1962. He studied at The Chelsea School of Fine Art followed by the Byam Shaw School of Art, graduating in 1985. During his years at Art College Aris developed a focus on figurative painting, portraiture and still life subjects, which continues to inspire his work today. Referencing artists such as Van Dyke and Rembrandt, Aris’s consistent aim is to apply the techniques of the Old Masters, whilst addressing contemporary subject matter.
Aris’ creative ethos is underlined by his belief that a work of art should be constructed in a way that will allow it to physically stand the test of time. Through his delicate handling of the medium and his use of traditional old master techniques, his work upholds the highest level of quality and sensitivity. Working in oil paint, charcoal and pastels, Aris’ work as a whole is underpinned by a continuing fascination for expressionism and realism, as ever evident in his sensitive portrait interpretations.
Aris’s work has been exhibited in numerous prestigious contexts, including at The Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1986. Aris was selected as one of the nine members of The British Federation of the Old Masters’ Society in 1994. This success was followed by a number of high profile portrait commissions which include a portrait of HRH Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia in 1995. In 2010 Aris became the Artist in Residence at the Leighton House Museum. More recently, Aris was commissioned to paint a portrait of the philosopher Professor William Emanuel Abraham for All Souls College at the University of Oxford in 2018.
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Works for sale
Aris Raissis
The Carpet SellerOil on Panel40 x 30 cms / 15¾ x 11¾ inchesSigned 'Aris R' (lower right)Description
In The Carpet Seller, Aris Raissis depicts a carpet merchant's stall in the bazaar by the old gates of the city of Cairo. At the centre of the composition a bearded seller in a white turban holds up a patterned kilim for inspection, assisted by a second man who raises its upper edge, while the customer, dressed in flowing pale blue robes and a white headdress and leaning on a staff, examines the goods before him. Carpets and textiles hang from rails overhead and lie folded across the foreground, their reds, blues and golds picked out by a shaft of daylight falling from a staircase at the upper left, which illuminates the central transaction and leaves the depths of the bazaar in darkness.
Raissis draws on the colours of Egypt and the Ottoman world; the Turkish influence is present in the costume and in the carpets themselves. The subject carries a personal dimension, for Raissis was born in Cairo in 1962 to Greek parents, and the markets of the city belong to the world of his childhood. He trained in London at the Chelsea School of Fine Art and the Byam Shaw School of Art, graduating in 1985, and has devoted his career to applying the techniques of the Old Masters, referencing Rembrandt and Van Dyck, to his own subjects. He exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1986, and his commissioned portraits include HRH Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, unveiled at Claridge's in 1995 before an audience that included Queen Elizabeth II. In The Carpet Seller, that Old Master training is evident in the single light source, the deep shadow and the concentration on a moment of human exchange, applied to the city of his birth.
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