Arteni was born on September 21, 1947, in Bucharest, Romania, to Constanţa Arteni and Vasile Arteni, a physician who specialized in otorhinolaryngology. Ștefan grew up primarily in Bucharest, and as a teenager was introduced to eastern Asian characters and letters while watching the movie Harakiri (1962) on his black-and-white family television set. Eastern Asian characters and letters piqued his curiosity and he discovered a passion, deep respect and understanding for the oriental arts, symbols, and calligraphy. In a letter to his close friend Michael Finkenthal, he expressed the impact this experience had on him, and how it influenced his style and later work:My interest in calligraphy began in high school. My Japanization - he wrote - began with that black-and-white film Harakiri, seen in the motherland: every image perfectly composed and especially... the ritual. I was profoundly impressed by the perfect composition of each image. Many scenes suggest a wonderful calligraphic dance. In terms of its content, the motion picture draws attention to the performative qualities of ritual.