Argentinean Architect Lands in Atlanta
Ariel Czesler’s architectural drawings evoke his home scenes of Buenos Aires and now employ morphology, free form architecture, and urban perspectives.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
Native Argentinean Ariel Czesler embarked on a U.S. journey where he shed his architectural career to realize a dream of working at Disney — all before meeting his wife on JDate and landing in Atlanta as an urban landscape artist.
Czesler explained, “Architectural drawings are pieces of art. Cities and buildings have become the stage and background to human life. Like art, architecture is also an expression of the era in which we live.”
With Buenos Aires as a source of inspiration, his approach to painting evolved into two main styles: free form architecture — for his building fantasies and architectural puzzles; and urban perspectives — for his city images interpreting city dynamics and the complexity of urban life.
Czesler also dips into morphology, the study of form. He stated, “Architectural drawing and drafting means studying volumes and shapes, lights and shadows, perspective and composition, all of which contribute to the overall design and aesthetic appeal of a structure.”
As an urban expressionist artist, his goal is to capture the essence of the urban landscape of native Buenos Aires, which Ariel describes as “a colorful city that feels gray, confusing but organized at the same time. I invoke its endless buildings, rooftop TV antennas, water tanks and power lines that grow almost organically. Other times, I create architectural stories, fantastical buildings assembled like puzzle pieces [that] become fascinating structures. Windows, stairs, balconies, and doors inspire me to compose a geometrical symphony, where perspective intersects light and shadow.”
Czesler operates out of his Decatur home and studio which is filled with paintings of all sizes and stages of completion. He works primarily with oils on canvas, but also paints with acrylics and experiments with new techniques. In terms of completion time, he can execute a piece in anywhere from a few hours to a few days or weeks. His work is sold in galleries and art fairs, or directly on his website (www.arielarte.com). Prices vary and depend mostly on size, time it took to complete, and other variables. He describes his price points as affordable.
Czesler uses social media to attract students to his seminars which are hands-on approaches to different art movements aimed at helping discover one’s inner artist.
Czesler said, “Everybody can create art. Children know this. Adults have forgotten. We use a variety of art-related activities and materials, encouraging the participants to discover different art concepts and learn how to relate to them. I don’t teach art techniques. I lead you in a journey of self-discovery through art.”
Relating the history of Jewish life in Argentina, the country’s Jewish population was about 400,000 in the 1980s. However, due to emigration to other countries, mainly Israel, the United States, and Spain, the population decreased to around 330,000 by the 1990s.
He went to one of several Jewish elementary schools, but the only one that taught Yiddish. As a family, they spent weekends at a Jewish community center and sports club. Ariel’s mother was an accomplished artist, painter, and sculptor. Art was always present in his house. He also studied art history and photography in secondary school and graduated as an architect from the University of Buenos Aires.
Before immigrating to the U.S., and for several years, he worked as an architect in different construction companies. However, he did not recertify his architectural degree in the U.S. and went on a different path following a childhood dream of working at Disney World.
Czesler exclaimed, “Pardon the cliche, but it was a dream come true! Something I had wanted since my first visit when I was a child. Not everybody can say their workday ends with fireworks! It was incredible to be part of all Walt Disney World for 20 years. I worked at all four parks and at 10 different resorts. I helped hundreds of families make their dream vacations come true.”
comments