Alekos Kontopoulos - Juvenilia

Alekos Kontopoulos - Juvenilia at the Benaki Museum, Pireos, Athens.

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.

A pivotal figure in the development of Greek art, known primarily for his groundbreaking contribution to non-representational painting.

After graduting from school, Kontopoulos relocated to Paris, but returned to Greece when WWII broke out. During the Occupation by the Germans, he actively participated in the Resistance, creating a series of drawings depicting the suffering, hardship and famine of the war years. In 1941, he was appointed to the National Archaeological Museum, where he worked until 1969. 

Around 1947, he embraced abstract art, becoming one of its first proponents in Greece. In 1949, he co-founded and led the group The Extremists, which aimed to promote abstract forms of art in Greece. Works from this period are characterised by their departure from representational forms, focusing instead on expressing internal emotions, through free or geometric shapes, often without tonal gradations; broad free brushstrokes and quick spontaneous markings; colours earthy, as well as bold; figurative fragments interlaced with non-objective shapes in the same painting.

In 1973, he was awareded the First State Prize, which he declined as a protest again the dictatorial rregime.

He was an iconic figure in modern Greek art, bridging realism with pioneering abstract painting. A trailglazer and visionary, through his painting, writings and relentless dedication, he shaped a new language of expression, leaving in indelible mark on Greek culture.

Approximately 18 Years Old, 1974, (acrylic on canvas)

Procession, 1939, (oil on canvas)

Recital, 1951, (mixed media on burlap)

Final Study for the Archaeological Museum's Painting of Pottery, 1959, (acrylic on plywood)

Despair, 1945, (drawing with Chinese ink)

From Now on, the Knife Will Cut a Red Line on your Bread, 1970, (oil on canvas)

looking closer

Balcony with Flowers, 1973, (oil on canvas)

Self-Portrait, 1975, (oil on canvas)

Composition - Image, 1962, (oil on hardboard)

A personal note:

Through his work in the Archaeological Museum in Athens, Kontopoulos knew my father well, as my father was the dicrector of the National Epigraphic Museum. Kontopoulos' wife was French and gave private French lessons. She was my tutor 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. The drawing hangs in our living room in the apartment in Athens. Unfortunately I don't have a photograph of it to share in this post. I went to an exhibition of the illustrations for books and magazines Kontopoulos produced, but again I saw the exhibition before I started doing my blog, so do not have photographs of that either.