Great Greek Painters of the 20th Century,
at the Theoharakis Foundation, Athens.
This second part of the exhibition features mid-20th century art.
Sikeliotis Georgios, Motherhood, (tempera, mixed media)
Yerasimos Steris, Mythical Landscape, 1930-36, (oil on cardboard)
Giannis Moralis, Seated Nude, 1952, (oil on canvas)
George Bouzianis, Portrait of the painter Waldmuller, 1923, (oil on canvas)
Orestis Kanellis, Reverie, (oil on canvas)
George Bouzianis, Portrait, 1927, (watercolour)
Diamantis Diamantopoulos, Roofs, 1930-31, (tempera on paper)
Aginor Asteriades, Nafplio, (oil on canvas)
Spiros Vasiliou, Captain Vangelis, 1954, (oil on cardboard)
Spiros Vasiliou, The Table on Ash Monday, 1050, (oil on canvas)
Spiros Vasiliou, Monastiraki, 1957, (oil on canvas)
Giannis Tsarouchis, Air Force Officer, 1950-51, (tempera, mixed media on paper)
Giorgos Gounaropoulos, Ancient Forms, (oil, mixed media)
Nikos Hardikyriakos-Ghika, Still Life, 19344, (oil on canvas)
Takis Marthas, Archaic, 1958, (mixed media)
Thanasis Tsigkos, Port with Houses, 1962, (mixed media)
Alekos Kontopoulos, Phaedriades Stones, 1958, (oil on canvas)
Giannis Spyropoulos, Installation, 1957-58, (oil on canvas)
Giannis Spyropoulos, The Past, 1960, (oil on canvas)
Yannis Gaitis, Parade, 1974, (oil on canvas)
Nikos Eggonopoulos, Vows of the Friendly Society, 1952, (oil on canvas)
Nikos Eggonopoulos, Orpheus, 1957, (oil on canvas)
Yannis Tsarouchis, Two Friends, 1938, (tempera, mixed media)
Yannis Tsarouchis, Basketball Player, 1949, (oil on paper)
Theofrastos Triantafyllidis, Masks, (mixed media)
Theofrastos Triantafyllidis, Boating, 1920-25, (oil on cardboard)
Valias Semertzidis, Landscape, Rhodes, 1975, (gouache on cardboard)
Valias Semertzidis, Olive Pickers, 1970, (monotype)
A personal note:
Alekos Kontopoulos' work was not appreciated during his lifetime. In order to make a living he worked in the restoration department of the National Museum of Athens, so he knew my father well, as my father was the director of the National Epigraphic Museum. Kontopoulos' wife was French and gave private French lessons. She was my teacher for years. One year she was so pleased with my performance in a test, that she gifted me one of the original pen drawings her husband made as an illustration for a book: another part-time occupation he undertook (which he hated) in order to supplement their income. The drawing hangs in our living room in the apartment in Athens. Today, Kontopoulos is seen as one of the main proponents of abstract painting in Greece.
It means so much more when one has a personal connection to an artist whose work is in an exhibition. I just love the 'Greek-ness' in so many of the paintings. Of this post's contents I am particularly drawn to the olive gatherers by Semertzidis, of whom I had not previously heard. It is a powerful piece, and looks so true to life.
ReplyDeleteThe Olive Gatherers is my favourite too, Olga, and like you, I had not come across this artist's work before.
DeleteThe Greek-ness of the paintings is what I liked about this exhibition. The Theoharakis Foundation almost always exhibit work of this type, and it's always a pleasure.