Happy New Year

Happy New Year and all the best.

Yannis Moralis - 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 Moralis in Juvenilia at Benaki Museum, Pireos, Athens.

Yannis Moralis was a key figure of the 'Generation of the 1930s', a group of writers, poets and visual artists who were key in the development of Greek Modernism; by combining movements such as surrealism and abstraction with the vernacular style, they created a mix beguiling mix of innovation and tradition. These experiments coincided with a surge of hope and optimism in Greece, as the country emerged from the strife of WWII and the subsequent Greek Civil War which ended in 1949. The group also included Yannis Tsarouchis, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika and Nikos Engonopoulos.

One of the recurrent motifs in Moralis' early work was the female nude. His detailed studies of the female form can be seen as a modern take on Ancient Greek beauty ideals which were so vividly captured in the classical sculptures and reliefs. From the late 1950s onwards, he started to incorporate abstraction into his figurative compositions. This was a gradual shift. Forms were repeatedly distilled until they blended into forms of great simplicity and precision. His late compositions were geometrical, painted in striking colours, their shapes totally deconstructed. Total abstraction.

Love - Hope, 1934, (woodcut on paper)

Love, Pleasure, Mother, 1933, (woodcut on wood)

Cafe, 1939, (woodcut on paper)

Nude, 1947, (oil on canvas)

Nude, 1939, (oil on canvas)

Seated Nude, 1952, (oil on canvas)

Portrait of the Painter Theodossios Christodoulou, 1939, (oil on canvas)

Portrait of Ioanna N. Lourou, 1949, (oil on canvas)

The Table, 1947, (oil on canvas)

Funerary Composition II, 1958-62, (oil on canvas)

Girl Painting, 1979, (oil on canvas)




 

The Island, 1976, (acrylic on canvas)

This is what Moralis gradually moved to, and this is the art he is associated with the most: abstract, austere, frugal style, dominated by flatness and a rendering of forms without tonal gradations, a two-dimensional view of space, and the absence of a light source. I love it.

Stoneleigh Abbey

Stoneleigh Abbey is a 20-minute drive from our house, yet we had never been before. Odd. So, we decided to visit two weeks ago.

The Abbey dates back to 1154 when Henry II granted these lands to a small community of Cistercian monks who had the church and then the Abbey built. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the estate went to private hands and various buildings were added over the years. In 1806 the estate passed to Rev. Thomas Leigh. He came to view his inheritance, bringing with him his cousin Cassandra Austen and her two daughters, Cassandra and Jane. The estate is mentioned as the fictional Sotherton Court in Mansfield Park.

A Santa was greeting the kids by the gate to one of the buildings

and two reindeer are kept nearby. I hate seeing animals in captivity and usually it upsets me too much to go near. I did however this time, and asked the two keepers (or should I say jailers?) about the reindeer. They said about how well kept they are and how they each have their own paddock. 'Yes', I thought 'and you think they prefer this to running free?' 

Through the gates is this circular courtyard where the stables, and other outbuildings are situated.

The courtyard is such a gorgeous space

A Christmas fair was going on in one of the buildings

and we had a quick look.

We then retraced our steps, back to the long avenue that leads to the car park

and went to the 14th century gate house which is where the ticket office is.

The gate house was built in 1346 and is the largest surviving fragment of the old monastic buildings. It is also one of a few monastic gatehouses that remain structurally complete.

This is one of the main buildings. There was a tour organised (we were not allowed to go in by ourselves which would have been our prefered option) but the time did not suit us, and we were not that bothered anyway. We go to these places for the walking in the grounds.

The grounds around this building are gorgeous

We walked down the steps

towards the river

and then towards the orangerie

nice view of the house from here

the Avon

and the orangery

we started exploring

intrigued by this structure 

We went to investigate

It's an early 19th century garden house, with a thatched roof. It's supported by a central wooden post and wooden posts all around. The front is open while the back is enclosed. There's a bench along the back wall.

It must be lovely sitting here on a hot, sunny day.

We continued exploring

along the river

and then entered the woods

Arrived at the pump house and water wheel.

crossed on the bridge

then on this path

back in the woods

past the pet cemetery

Having arrived at the end of the grounds we turned around taking a path that run parallel to the one we had been walking on

and eventually arrived to where we had started from

noticed this very low cloud - it looked almost like a mountain

a different view of the house

we then took this path hoping to extend our walk

Came to another wheel and weir and this is where as far as we were allowed to go.

We had a really good time, but doubt if we will ever go back there - the walk is far too short.