Flora Karavia Thaleia

In 1874 she settled with her family in Constantinople where she studied at the Zappeion Girls’ School. After graduation she worked as a teacher for a year but her inclination for painting led her in 1895 to Munich where she studied at private schools and trained under Nikolaos Vokos, Georgios Ιakovidιs, Nikolaos Gyzis, Paul Nauen, Anton Azbe, Walter Thor and Fer. In 1898 she returned to Constantinople but then went back to Munich again where she remained until 1900. After her definitive return she continued to travel in various European cities and in 1907 on a trip to Egypt, she married the journalist Nikolaos Karavias. Living in Alexandria for thirty years, she developed substantial artistic activity and founded an Artistic School which she ran herself. In the war of 1912-1913, she followed the campaigns of the Greek army at first hand keeping a diary and sketching various impressions which she published in 1936 in a book entitled Εντυπώσεις από τον πόλεμο του 1912-1913. Μακεδονία-Ήπειρος (Impressions from the War of 1912-1913. Macedonia-Epirus). She also followed the Asia Minor campaign and the operations on the Albanian front, depicting the soldier’s life, the landscapes and monuments. For her work and activity she was awarded the silver medal of the Athens Academy in 1945 and the Cross of the Order of Beneficence in 1954.

Beginning her exhibition activity in 1898, she presented her work at a multitude of solo and group shows in Greece and abroad, among which were those at the Society of Art Devotees, the Parnassos Hall, and the International Exhibitions of Paris in 1900, Constantinople in 1901 and 1902, Athens in 1903, Cairo in 1909 and Rome in 1911, as well as the Venice Biennale of 1934.

In her work, which covers nearly all subjects — portraits, landscapes, still lifes and genre scenes — and is characterized by faultless draughtsmanship, balanced composition and sensitivity in the rendering of the colors, she originally stuck to the conservative rules of the Academy but later adopted the doctrines of impressionism and plein air painting. She was also involved with the illustration of literary texts and designed the lottery tickets for the support of the Greek National Fleet.