Yannis Tsarouchis - Juvenilia

This exhibition covered the work of eleven Greek artists who were influenced by the major events of the 20th century: WWII, the occupation of Greece by the Germans and the famine that ensued; the Civil War that followed the end of the war, and how it divided the nation; finally the seven years of the military dictatorship that brought so much suffering to the Greek people. 

In the exhibition we were shown how each artist's work developed and changed as they matured and how some moved on to abstraction. I will cover the work of one artist in each post.

Yannis Tsarouchis at Juvenilia at Benaki Museum, Pireos, Athens.

One of the most important representatives of the 'Thirties Generation', Tsarouchis embodied in his work the ideal of 'Greekness'. A modernist painter and set designer, he created a unique personal style and depicted landscapes, still lifes, nudes and allegorical scenes. But his interest was primarily focused on the human figure, and is known for his homoerotic subjects, including, sailors, soldiers and nude young men. He was influenced by Byzantine iconography. His work moved in two main directions: toward the orientalist and sensual and toward the ancient Greek ideal.

He joined the struggle against the Italians trying to invade Greece in 1940. With a more political and humanist perspective after his military service, he began painting scenes of young men who were preparing to defend their homeland from the rise of Fascist Italy. Tsarouchis' depiction of the sailors and soldiers was controversial: some of his exhibits were taken down by censors who saw his work as unpatriotic and degrading to the Greek male image.

Most of the works in this exhibition are portraits of young men.

Still Life with Ruby Red Backgrouundk, 1934-35, (oil on plywood)

Evzone and Family, 1936, (mixed media on canvas)

Cyclist Dressed as Evzone with a Temple at the Bottom Right Corner of the Painting, 1936, (oil on canvas)

Youth in White Linen Suit, 1937, (pigments with animal glue on canvas)

The Thinker, 1936, (pigments with animal glue on paper)

A reference to Rodin's The Thinker - a modern young Greek sitting on a cafe stool, a cigarette in hand, with a faraway look in his eye.

Seated Dark-Haired Youth with a Topcoat, 1937, (pigments with animal glue on paper)

Youth Posing as a Statue from Olympia, 1939, (pigments with animal glue on canvas)

Italian Nude, seated in profile, 1937, (pigments with animal glue on paper)

Nude Youth with Oleanders and a Bandage on his Hand, 1940, (oil on canvas)

To see more of Tsarouchis' work you can go here