IN THE work of acclaimed painter Panayiotis Tetsis, light and colour are enemies and allies because without the one, the other cannot exist. But it is darkness that is colour’s real enemy. In this amazing contemporary colourist’s last show of 27 large-scale works at the Theocharakis Foundation (May 6-October 25 2015), Tetsis, who used to … Continue reading
Category Archives: painting
Waiting for the ‘resurrection’ of Greece: Pallantzas talks about art and the crisis
EVERYONE has felt some kind of loss during the Greek crisis. Christos Pallantzas’ current show at the Evripides Gallery focuses exactly on this subject – capturing in his paintings, what isn’t there. From portraits to nudes, humans and their relationships are analysed, explored and exposed. What they lack, takes centre stage: These narratives ask of … Continue reading
Rorris tells the naked truth about his paintings
LIKE bees to honey, art lovers swarmed to the Felios Collection on February 13, in order to hear the acclaimed 53-year old, bespectacled painter Giorgos Rorris talk about his work (on the occasion of his current show of 33 works there). Black-dressed for the occasion, he admitted that it was the first time that he … Continue reading
Rorris in focus
Giorgos Rorris, is an artist who has mastered the painting of the human form via oils, to such an extent that not only does he paint his models’ exterior appearance, but he also manages to capture the inner life of his sitters via the painting process . Each painting is like an ode to the … Continue reading
A few suggestions for February
So, what’s in store for February in terms of art? Here are some exhibitions that you might want to start off with in Athens, the city of dreams and nightmares, crisis tension and classical harmony, general strikes and cultural creativity (and much, much more of course): Metamatic:taf (the art foundation) The ‘Culturelines Sans Frontieres’ project … Continue reading
Let’s talk about art, collector Frissiras
SITTING in collector Vlassis Frissiras’ office, I explain to him that I had interviewed him once before, about 12 or so years ago – and that although I have taken a break from covering the art scene in Greece for a decade (!!!!!! due to a ‘change of profession’ after becoming a full-time mum), my … Continue reading
Touring the new Greek landscape
Art historian Charis Kambouridis was pleasantly surprised when he encountered quite a few more art lovers than he had expected, to turn up for his talk/guided tour of the new show at the Evripides Gallery on Sunday, December 13. Entitled ‘The New Landscape Painting’, this exhibition presents how a particular generation of 18 artists have … Continue reading
When Tetsis’ colour becomes darkness
“Landscape is not a genre of art but a medium. Landscape is a medium of exchange between the human and the natural, the self and the other. As such, it is like money: good for nothing in itself, but expressive of a potentially limitless reserve of value. Landscape is a natural scene mediated by culture. … Continue reading
October’s trick or treat
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This can be observed in the lovely full-body portrait paintings by Petros Karavevas – a student of Yiorgos Rorris – who has carried on his teacher’s passion for painting from life, exploring reality and the human character. The show with Karavevas’ works opened to the public on … Continue reading
Verghi: The plight and pleasures of a pioneering plein air painter
THERE are so many elements that converge in Chryssa Verghi’s art. Among her painted odes to nature, you will spot references to certain crucial crossroads in the history of art and landscape painting, such as her painted encomium to Monet ‘s ‘ Water Lillies’, a touch of Romanticism’s passion for the sublime and mystical in … Continue reading