JAMES ARAX BIOGRAPHY 8/8 - Education
EDUCATION
James ARAX is a painter, since he is 5 years old, thanks to his grand father in Antibes in the south of France who offered him a paint box with tubes of color oil paint. His grandfather put his easel in marvelous places on the Côtes d'Azur and Provence. James used to follow him in the footsteps of Picasso & Cézanne in Provence.
James Arax in his 1st flat-studio in Paris rue François Miron Paris IV in his early years.
Very soon he was attracted by architecture, paintings and poesy. His envy of painting became an obsession and finally a profession 15 years after graduating as an architecte. While he attends High School of Architecture, he painted a lot at the French Beaux Arts Academy.
Sketch by JAmes Arax made in the Louvre after The Dying Slave a sculpture by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo.
He was amazed by secession movement from Vienna and the Spanish painters: Tapiès, Millares, Chillida, the Greco. He chooses Toledo to implement his architecture project for his diploma in architecture.
James Arax drawing on his sketchbook
James has always painted on paper, from the XS sketchbook to the very large XL format. He finds on the surface of the paper a freedom, a nervousness, a flexibility of expression for his painting.
Exhibiting at Grand Palais Salon d’Automne besides Jean Cocteau in his early years
As young as 22 years old, he wins the award «Les étoiles de la peinture» under the patronage of Accor group and an exhibition in Espace Maeght Montrouge. At that time, one of his early paintings is exhibited and sold! right next to Jean Cocteau at the Salon d’Automne at the Grand Palais in Paris.
« Venus » sketched on site in Le Louvre + Portrait of a collector sketched on site on a paper tablecloth in Paris.
He studied classic architecture especially in France & Italy and he became an architect D.P.L.G.(1993) in France. He worked as an architect during 10 years in famous studios in Paris such as Jacques Ripault : Médiathèque de Meaux, MacVal - musée d'Art contemporain du Val-de-Marne.
Sketch of Toledo on site, preparing his diploma in architecture.
James appreciates particularly the architect Jacques Ripault with whom he worked. He transmitted to James his passion for post-modernist architecture. Jacques always encouraged James to continue in painting.
Working as an architect with Jacques Ripault Architecture Studio - Top - Espace culturel Luxembourg à Meaux /1994 - Bottom - Musée d’Art Contemporain MACVAL à Vitry Sur Seine /2005
Passionated by landscapes, he obtains a post-graduate DEA in Landscape & architecture (EHESS Paris - PSL1998) thesis «Virtual landscapes», direction of Alain Roger, philosopher, professor of aesthetics, student of the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and Augustin Berque, geographer, orientalist and philosopher.
James Arax in his Studio in Dordogne Valley - "Magic Mountain" inspired by Chinese classic paintings.
Besides studying the European philosophers, he studied Chinese literature and painters, as Shitao. In 2000, he begins the practice of Tai chi chuan with Anya Méot (Master Tung). Since, he practices regularly to deepen his physical relationship to his artwork. He has completed artistic residencies in Berlin, Vienna, London, Rio, NY and Guayaquil in Ecuador.
James Arax in Germany for his own exhibition, visiting one of his favorite classic painter Cranach.