SKOUFA GALLERY is hosting the works of Dimitris Katsigiannis till March 1. The exhibition, entitled “en plein air” gathers together some of the artist’s watercolours of recent years, which he had created out in the open, in his garden in Chania, carrying on in this way the plein air tradition. Although explored especially by the Impressionists back in the early 19^th century, plein air painting still holds strong even today, and certainly holds a special place in the art world, seeing as it has many challenges that studio painting doesn’t.

Katsigiannis explained at the gallery that due to the fact that watercolours need time to dry before you can apply the next layer, he would need to go back to his subject-matter for days, even months – same time, same place, in order to set up his easel etc and continue his painting. And each of these paintings at Skoufa is an intricate, detailed web of nature’s motifs and mesmerizing patterns.

Katsigiannis manages to convey through his paintings nature’s many orchestrations, silently at work, where the perfect balance between order and chaos is achieved. His painting process is a meditative one, which allows him to study and learn from the ancient laws of nature’s creations.

Dimitris Katsigiannis was born in Drama in 1960. He studied electrical engineering at the Democritus University of Thrace (1978-1983) and then painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1983-1990). He also received a postgraduate scholarship from the Hellenic State Fund (1992-1995). Watercolour is his favourite medium, because of its transparency and the discipline and thought-processes demanded by it, especially when it comes to ‘keeping the whites and lightest lights’ (for which he doesn’t use masking fluid). The intricacy and detail of his watercolours, the delicacy of the medium, plus the artist’s respect for the natural environment he pays homage to in his paintings, are all part and parcel of Katsigiannis’s harmonious creative compositions, which manage to transmit to the viewer a little bit of that peace of mind one feels, when connecting with nature.

• Dimitris Katsigiannis’s exhibition “en plein air” runs till March 1.
• Skoufa Gallery is on 4 Skoufa Street, Kolonaki, Athens 10673. Open hours: Mon, Wed, 10:00 – 16:00; Tues, Thur, 10:00 – 21:00; Friday, 10:00 – 20:00; Saturday, 10:30 – 16:00. For more info you can visit the gallery’s site here www.skoufagallery.gr

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