Showing an early inclination for drawing, he took his first lessons in Larissa from painter Christos Papamerkouriou and then in Athens from Erato Asprogeraka-Valvi. From 1915 to 1921, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts, under Georgios Roilos, Georgios Jakovides, Spyros Vikatos, Pavlos Mathiopoulos, and Nikolaos Lytras.
The year of his graduation he also began his exhibition activity, with his first solo exhibition in Larissa. More solo exhibitions and participations in group, national, and international exhibitions followed, including the Biennale of Venice (1934 and 1940), Sao Paulo and Alexandria (1959), as well as the exhibitions of groups “Techni” and “Stathmi,” of which he was a founding member. In 1925, he became member of the Greek Artists’ Association.
In 1961, his work was shown in a retrospective exhibition at the Athens Technology Institute and in 1976 at the National Gallery.
For a while, he worked for economic reasons for the advertising agency GEO and later taught free drawing at secondary school as well as public and private schools. Alongside with painting, he also copied Byzantine frescoes, painting murals in churches, designing mosaics and portable icons, and illustrating books. Engraving was another aspect of his creative career, including albums of lithographic reproductions, while during the German Occupation he published posters of engravings inspired by folk songs. In 1928, he published “Το σπίτι του Σβαρτς στα Αμπελάκια” (reprinted 1974), with his engravings from his tour of Thessaly, and in 1933 “Παιδικά σχέδια”, in collaboration with his friend, the painter Spyros Vassileiou, for which he received the Grand Prize for Publishing at the Paris World Fair (1937).
Including a great number of landscapes, his oeuvre also features nudes, portraits, and still lifes. He treats his subjects in an unmistakable personal style, blending elements from the Byzantine tradition, folk art, and naive painting with a distinctive use of perspective, while there is also some Cubist and Surrealist influence.
He started off studying medicine (1943-1944) but he gave it up and turned to the School of Fine Arts where he studied painting in the studio of Konstantinos Parthenis (1944-1947). In 1954 he went on a scholarship to Paris where by 1957 he had completed his studies in painting and learned the art of the mosaic.
In 1964 he presented his first solo show at the Galerie J in Paris which was followed by solo shows in various towns of France, Greece and other countries while in 1998 there was a retrospective at the National Gallery. He also took part in group and international exhibitions such as “Three Proposals for a New Greek Sculpture” in 1964 at the Teatro le Fenice, in Venice, in the framework of the Biennale, the Sao Paolo Biennale of 1965 and the Europalia of 1982. Also interested in art on a theoretical level he has published articles in magazines as well as the books H ζωγραφική πράξη και σκέψη (Painting Act and Thought) (Athens, 1973), “Kιαροσκούρο” (“Chiaroscuro”), 1982 and “Eπιλογή από το ημερολόγιο 1973-1985” (“Selection from My Diary 1973-1985”) (Athens 1987).
Acquainted with abstract art at first hand, he adopted its doctrines right from his early years of residence in Paris, creating his first series of boxes using cheap, common materials which he painted in ordinary colors, and punctured, tore and crumpled. Later he created compositions influenced by hard edge, optical and kinetic art, and then returned to flat surfaces. In these works hardboard, which is the basic material, is cut or detached to let the white light of the wall shine freely through. Then burlap replaced the hardboard and, consisting of bands or pieces of unhemmed material, sewn with prominent stitches, or frayed and colored, it hangs freely on the wall letting the light flow through.
He took his first painting lessons from his father, Periklis Vyzantios. He then studied at the School of Fine Arts (1938-1942) and in 1946 on a scholarship from the French government he completed his studies in Paris, at the Julian and Grande Chaumiere Academies. Residing permanently since then in the French capital he established relationships with Alberto Giacommeti, Christian Zervos, Eugene Ionesco and Dimitris Galanis, from whom he learned the art of engraving.
In 1951 he presented his first solo exhibition at the Ariel gallery. This was followed by solo shows both in France and other European countries as well as Athens, several of which had a preface by Eugene Ionesco, Michel Foucault and other eminent figures of arts and letters. He has also participated in numerous group shows in France and other European countries.
Starting out with a figurative rendering focused on the human figure but also landscape, he quickly abandoned the doctrines of his teachers, adopting a personal style. He later turned for a period to abstract art but then returned to figurative depictions. Introducing still life into his subject matter, he has created compositions with a strange perspective which is suggestive of an enigmatic atmosphere and a “speculative” space in which are embodied figures with characteristics of mannerism and peculiar positions and attitudes.
Descended from a family of merchants, he too turned to commerce at the end of his course of studies on Syros. In 1856 he was in Trieste where he worked as an accountant in the commercial house of his brother-in-law Georgios Afentoulis. During the same period, he began to do his first drawings on subjects related to the harbour and in 1864, at the urging of his employer and the financial backing of his family, he went to Munich where he began to study at the Academy of Fine Arts under Karl von Piloty.
His participation in the competition for the depiction of the naval battle of Lisse, announced by the Austrian government in 1866, garnered him first prize in 1867 for his drawings and a trip along the Adriatic in order to get to know the site of the naval battle. The following year the work was presented at the Artistic Exhibition of Vienna and was purchased by the Emperor Franz Joseph. In 1868 he began to take part in the exhibitions of the Artistic Society of Munich in which he also participated in 1869, 1872, 1873, 1877 and 1878 while in 1877 he exhibited the “Naval Battle of Trafalgar” in London, and the work was purchased by the British Ministry of the Admiralty.
In 1883 he returned to Greece and was appointed professor at the School of Fine Arts where he taught Elementary Graphics and Statue Drawing until 1903 when he retired for health reasons. At the same time he taught at the “Artistic Center”, a painting school he had founded in Piraeus in 1895, where he had settled upon his return from Munich.
Continuing his exhibition activity, he participated in the exhibitions at the Melas House in 1881 and the Parnassos Hall, at the Olympia Exhibition in 1888, the International Exhibition of Athens in 1903, at which he won the silver medal, and at the International Exhibition of Bordeaux in 1907 at which he also won an award. Moreover, he presented the “Naval Battle of Salamis” at the Greek Court in 1883 and in 1889 was awarded the Silver Cross of the Savior.
Though he began with landscapes, Volanakis developed into one of the most important Greek seascape painters, depicting naval battles, scenes in harbors, ships and caiques, as well as important events taken from the social life of the time. His compositions, lyrical and atmospheric, are characterized by color harmony and a meticulous rendering of the details and reveal a study of the Dutch seascape tradition. In his landscapes can be found influences from the Barbizon School and the work of Corot and there are also reverberations of French impressionism.
He spent his early childhood in Tinos and in 1850 settled with his father in Athens, so he would have the chance to systematically cultivate his inclination for painting. Because of his young age, he attended lessons at the National Technical University as an observer. He officially enrolled in 1854 and studied till 1864 under Philippos Margaritis, Agathangelos Triantafyllou, Raffaello Ceccoli, Ludwig Thiersch, Petros Pavlidis-Minotos and Vasileios Karoubas-Skopas. In 1859 he took part in the Olympia Exhibition. In 1862, he was introduced by his compatriot and close friend Nikephoros Lytras, to the wealthy Tinian (later to be his father-in-law) Nikolaos Nazos, who helped him get a scholarship from the Evangelistria Foundation of Tinos. In the middle of 1865 he departed for Munich, where he studied under Hermann Anschutz and Alexander von Wagner at the Academy of Fine Arts, before he was accepted in 1868 into Karl von Piloty’s class. In Munich he was initiated into artistic life by Nikephoros Lytras who had settled there in 1860 and soon became accepted into the circle around Leibl and formed friendly relations with the painters Franz von Defregger, Eduard Kurzbauer and, later, Franz von Lenbach. After his participation in the exhibitions of Munich and Vienna, he departed for Greece in 1872 where he stayed for two years. The trip to the Middle East which he took with Lytras in 1873, had a definitive influence on his perception and rendering of color and light. He returned to Munich in 1874, for good this time, where he systematically took part in the annual and international exhibitions at the Glaspalast. In 1875 he became a member of the artistic society Allotria. At the World Exhibition of Paris in 1878, where he participated in the German division, he won third prize while in 1879 he was a member of the critical committee at the International Exhibition of Munich. In 1878- 1880 he painted the ceiling of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Kaiserslautern. In 1880 he became an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts, in 1882 an assistant professor at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and six years later, in 1888, a full professor. In addition to genre painting, still lifes and portraits, by the middle of the 1880s Gyzis had already turned to idealistic-allegorical subjects, which he had begun to experiment with as early as the middle of the preceding decade, and thus he would become the one to express a new spirit which was being cultivated in Munich at that time, a precursor of Jugendstil. In 1887 he designed the flag for the National and Capodistrian University of Athens and a year later executed the “Spirit of Art” for the 3rd International Exhibition of Munich, which marked a turn toward the artistic poster. In 1892 he won gold medals at the International Exhibition of Munich and at Madrid, was selected a member of the critical committee of the International Exhibition of Chicago on 1893, a year during which he also illustrated the story by Dimitrios Vikelas, “Φίλιππος Μάρθας” (“Philippos Marthas”). In 1895 he made his last trip to Greece. In 1896 he completed the Diploma of the Olympic Games while from 1895 to 1899 he painted a large idealistic composition, “The Apotheosis of Bavaria” for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Nuremburg. In 1899 he sent “Glory” to the Exhibition of Athens, while in 1900 his works “New Century” and “Spring Symphony” were presented at the World Exhibition of Paris and the large composition, “Behold the Bridegroom”, which is a religious vision and which he was unable to complete, was shown at the Glaspalast. In 1901 there was a posthumous exhibition dedicated to the recently departed Wilhelm Leibl, Arnold Bocklin and Nikolaos Gyzis. A year later his biography was published by Marcel Montandon. In 1928 the Society of Art Devotees organized a retrospective at the Iliou Melathron containing four hundred and sixty three of his works. In 2001, a hundred years after his death, the National Gallery of Athens presented a major retrospective exhibition of his work.
A dominant figure of the “Munich School” Gyzis influenced the course of Greek art through his painting, while he also occupies an important place in the history of 19th century German art. In his genre paintings he managed to transcend the level of mere narration, while his real calibre is shown by his idealistic, allegorical and religious work, sectors in which he was in step with the quests of the avant garde movement Jugendstil.
In 1911 he settled with his family in Athens and in 1919 enrolled in the School of Fine Arts but he very quickly dropped out because he disagreed with the academic system of teaching. During the period 1920-1927 he travelled in Italy and Germany and went to Paris where he remained till 1925; he also worked for the newspaper Petit Parisien, publishing sketches. He then visited Malta, where his family had settled, and in 1927 returned to Athens, continuing to illustrate newspapers and magazines. At the same time, he was interested in the problems of art on a theoretical level and in 1940 published the essay “Τέχνη και Εποχή” (“Art and Epoch”) and the articles ” Έρευνα και διδασκαλία” (“Research and Teaching”), “Προβλήματα δημόσιας αισθητικής” (“Problems of Public Aesthetics”) and “Kαλλιτεχνική αγορά” (“The Art Market”) in the Greek magazine “Nεοελληνικά Γράμματα”.
He started to exhibit in 1922 with the organization of a solo show at the Autocratorikon gallery. This was followed by other solo shows and appearances in Panhellenies and group exhibitions, among which were those of the Art Group, of which he was a founding member; in 1934 he was one of the representatives of Greece at the Venice Biennale. After his death, retrospective presentations of his work were organized at Parnassos Hall in 1957, the Astor gallery in 1973 and the Dada gallery in 1987.
A restless and sensitive man, his work also displays an anti-academic spirit, and the portraits and landscapes, even the religious subjects, are painted in an expressionistic style with a proclivity for psychography. His sculpture shows the same inclination and consists mainly of heads in clay and plaster.
After his father was hanged by the Turks in 1821 he and his brother Euthymios were sent to the Capodistrias Orphanage on Aegina. In 1832, probably with the help of Ludwig Thiersch, he went to Munich where he studied at the Panhellenion, the Greek school founded by Ludwig I for the orphans of the veterans of the Greek War of Independence. Twelve years later, in 1844, he was accepted by the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and until 1855 continued on a scholarship of the Greek colony. Through this financial support he travelled in Europe, while from 1848 to 1851 he was in Greece with the aim of studying the landscape and the figures he would be depicting in his history paintings. Meanwhile, in Munich he had come to know the work of Peter von Hess, Karl von Heideck, Joseph Petzl, Karl Krazeisen and Joseph Stieler, a fact which serves to interpret the fashioning of his style by means of the classical romantic spirit as well as his choice of the subjects of his painting from the events of recent Greek history.
Returning to the Bavarian capital he opened a workshop and had several young apprentices working under him. During his artistic career he took part in many exhibitions (World Exhibition of Paris 1855, International Exhibition of London 1862, Olympia 1870) and won distinctions (1st prize at the International Exhibition of Vienna in 1853 for his work “The Exodus from Missolonghi”, silver medal 2nd class at the 1870 Olympia for his lithograph “Karaiskakis’ Army Camp”). Between 1861-1863 he did the paintings for the Greek church of the Annunciation in Manchester, at the request of the Greek colony there. There is no evidence of other work during the final decade of his life as an eye disease forced him to isolate himself from the artistic and social life of Munich. His paintings, which he willed to the University of Athens, in the end came to the National Gallery by means of a University Donation. In the exhibition “Monuments of the Greek War of Independence” which was organized, after his death, at the Parnassos Hall in 1884, six of his works were presented.
The one who introduced the Munich School to Greece, he was systematically involved with depictions of scenes from the Greek War of Independence and its well-known or even anonymous veterans, in agreement with the principals of the Academy. This subject matter was particularly popular and his works made into lithographs were widely circulated and became established in the public’s mind as authentic reproductions of modern Greek history. Another aspect of his artistic creation were his portraits, in which Vryzakis showed his skill as a portrait painter, fully in control of his expressive means.
He originally studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1900-1904) under Nikephoros Lytras and Georgios Roilos and then, on an Averoff scholarship, continued his studies at the Munich Academy (1907-1911) under professors Otto Seitz, Ludwig von Lofftz and Karl von Marr. He stayed in the Bavarian capital until 1929, in the meantime making a grand educational tour of the various countries of Europe as well as Constantinople (Istanbul), Jerusalem, Egypt, Mt. Athos and Athens, primarily studying the tradition of icon painting.
In 1929 he was elected professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, remaining in that position until 1953. During the Greek-Italian war he was sent on a government commission to the front and did representations of many of the battles. For this work he received in 1952 the National Medal in Letters and Arts of the Athens Academy, of which he became a member in 1959.
During his residence in Munich he took part in many exhibitions at the Glaspalast, as well as in group exhibitions in various cities throughout Europe, and in 1925 organized his first solo show at the Parnassos Hall in Athens. He also exhibited his work at the Venice Biennales of 1934 and 1936 as well as in group shows and Panhellenies.
In his painting he was originally occupied with mythological and symbolic motifs while later he turned to scenes from everyday life, landscapes, portraits and nudes in interior spaces. His earlier work reveals a naturalistic style but he later adopted the plein air perceptions of his era, while in his nudes there is to be found a taste for a sensuous and pleasant rendition.
Corfiot in origin, he completed the Megali tou Genous Scholi (Great School of the Hellenes), located in the Phanari section of Constantinople. He showed an early interest in painting, perhaps influenced by his mother who was an amateur painter. In 1903 he went to Munich and in 1906 enrolled in the Academy where he studied painting under G. von Hackl, as well as engraving, more than likely in the M. Kern studio.
In Germany he became friends with Konstantinos Theotokis and was introduced to socialist ideas and in 1909 he participated in the founding of the Socialist Democratic Union. He also published in the magazine Νουμάς a study entitled, Ανθρώπινες αντιλήψεις (Human Perceptions) examining this matter from a socialist point of view. That same year he went to Paris and the following year returned to Corfu where, together with Theotokis, he organized the Socialist Center of Corfu. In 1914 he participated in the forming of the literary and artistic group Company of Nine, publishing at the same time poems, drawings and engravings in the group’s magazine Κερκυραϊκή Ανθολογία.
Sometime before 1912 he became involved with the illustration of the short stories of K. Theotokis, only one of which, Η Τιμή και το Χρήμα (Honor and Money) was published at the time (1914). The rest were published in 1982 under the titles, Διηγήματα-Κορφιάτικες Ιστορίες and Το βιος της κυρά Κερκύρας (Stories – Corfiot Tales and The Fortune of Madam Corfu). From 1919 to 1922 he did engravings for the republication of the book by P. Vlastos, Στον ήσκιο της συκιάς (In the Shadow of the Fig Tree) which in the end did not take place and in 1922 he went to Berlin where he illustrated the book by Alfred Maria Ellis (Warner Hageman), Iphigenie.
In 1917 he came to Athens where he presented a series of engravings at the Kazazis music store while in 1922 he held a solo show at the Zappeion Hall with oil paintings and engravings. He also took part in the exhibitions of the Society of Greek Artists and in 1936 his engravings were exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Since his death there have been repeated retrospectives of his work.
His engraving, consisting mainly of copperplates and in large part destined to illustrate books, is done realistically, while in his painting, which consists of landscapes, interiors and portraits, his knowledge of impressionist and post-impressionist work is apparent.
He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1870-1876) under Nikephoros Lytras. In 1877, having won the competition the School had announced for study in Europe, he enrolled in the Munich Academy where he took lessons, until 1883, under Ludwig von Lofftz, Wilhelm Lindenschmidt and Gabriel von Max. He remained in Munich until the close of the century, became involved in the artistic life of the city and established himself. Having already presented his works in exhibitions at the Kunstverein and Glaspalast, in 1884 he became a full member of the Kunstlergenossenschaft, and was three times appointed a member of the critical committee for its exhibitions (1889, 1892, 1895). In addition to Germany, where he was distinguished in many exhibitions, he also had an important presence in exhibitions organized in Athens, and the International Exhibitions of Paris (1878, 1889 – bronze medal, 1900 – gold medal). In 1900, at the invitation of the Greek government, he returned to Greece and took over the direction of the newly constituted National Gallery, a position he occupied until 1918. In 1904 he succeeded his teacher Lytras to the Chair of Painting of the School of Fine Arts where he taught until 1930, serving as Director of the School from 1910. In 1914 he was awarded the Prize in Arts and Letters and in 1926 elected a member of the Athens Academy. In 2005 the National Gallery of Athens organized a retrospective exhibition of his work.
He is considered to be one of the supreme representatives of academic painting in Greece, despite some conflicting aspects of his visual creation, not to mention his broader field of action. The subject matter to be found in his work includes mythological and genre scenes, portraits, landscapes and still lifes. During his residence in Munich, a period to which can be traced the influences of German impressionism on his work specially in regard to the rendering of light and color, he showed particular interest in genre painting, scenes from childhood, as well as the depiction of figures in the countryside. Upon his return to Greece he turned primarily to the execution of official portraits, still lifes and flower paintings.
He was a student of Alexandre Cabanel in Paris, where he studied painting for ten years (ca 1875-1885). While in the French capital he exhibited his works at the Salon of the Society of Living Artists, of which he was a member (1876, 1877, 1878, 1880) and at the World Exhibition of 1878. In 1885 he took part in the first exhibition at Parnassos Hall. In 1886 he was appointed an unpaid professor of Technical Drawing at the Athens School of Arts and later, starting in 1903, taught Elementary Graphics and Sketching until 1916. In 1888 he participated in the Olympia Exhibition at Zappeion Hall where he received a commendation, while in 1899 he appeared in the exhibition of the Society of Art Devotees and in 1900 the exhibition of the Artistic Union. He also took part in the Alexandria Exhibition of 1903. Known as a still life painter, mainly with fruit and sweets, done in accordance with the principals of academic realism, he also did portraits.
Son of the Hellenist Friedrich Thiersch, he studied sculpture and later painting at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. In 1849 he left for Rome where he remained until 1852, studying the work of Raphael. Then he returned to Athens and taught painting at the School of Arts until 1855. From 1853 to 1855 he did paintings for the Russian Church in Athens. A year later, 1856, he left for Munich and the following years he travelled to many cities such as Vienna, St. Petersburg, Karslruhe, London and Paris. In the three latter cities he got involved with the iconography of Greek churches. Of his exhibition activity it is known he participated in the International Exhibition of Paris in 1855 and that there was an exhibition of his drawings at the Zappeion Hall in 1891, as well as a presentation of Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons that belonged to his collection.
Using Renaissance models, he was principally interested in religious painting, but also did portraits.
At an early age he fled with his family to Odessa because of persecution by the Turks, and then to St. Petersburg, a large artistic center during that period, where he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1857 he travelled to Rome and Venice to familiarize himself with the great painters of the Renaissance, finally settling in Florence where he remained and worked until 1867. There he met and married Zoe Kambani, who died a year after the wedding, however, from tuberculosis. Having also fallen victim to the same disease, he was forced to quit Florence and go to Egypt which had a warmer climate. During the journey, on which he passed through Athens, he visited the Acropolis. In any case, his name is mentioned for the first time in 1878 in the Greek magazine Εστία (Hestia), according to which his mother-in-law, Euphemia Kambani, donated seven of his works to the Gallery at the Art School. Nevertheless, the Greek public was very late in recognizing his work, not until the exhibition at the Society of Music Devotees in 1895. Works of his were also shown at the exhibition of the Society of Art Devotees in 1900 and in 1915 the National Gallery exhibited “The Painter’s Family” at the Zappeion Hall. This work was also presented at the exhibition of the League of Greek Artists in 1917 as well as all the exhibitions organized by the National Gallery at the Zappeion Hall. In 1908 Kimon Michaelidis published an exhaustive article on the artist in the Greek magazine Παναθήναια (Panathinaia) and it appears that he was recognized in Florence as well since one of his self-portraits is at the Uffizi Gallery in the city and a head of an old lady is in the Museo Civico in Padua. Kounelakis’ painting includes portraits, religious subjects and mythological scenes.
Having studied the art of the Renaissance, as well as the works of the French classicists from the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, he combined Renaissance classical structure, measure and harmony with faultless draughtsmanship and the melancholic rendering of figure common to French art, while in the depiction of mythological scenes a definitive role was undoubtedly played by his acquaintance with the work of Dominique Ingres.
He studied painting at the Athens School of Arts where he enrolled in 1859. From 1865 to 1868 he continued his studies at the Munich Academy under Karl von Piloty and later in Paris, under Jean-Leon Gerome.
Remaining abroad until 1876, he worked in Paris, Marseilles and Vienna, where he gained distinction as a portrait painter. He continued to work systematically at portraiture after his return to Greece, and indeed is one of the most important representatives of that art form in the 19th century, rendering those being depicted with a realistic, and at the same time, psychologically revealing style. His subject matter included historical, mythological, Biblical and allegorical motifs, as well as copies of the works of foreign masters, mainly Rubens, Rembrandt and A. Van Dyck, while for the Greek Orthodox Church in Liverpool he made an icon of Christ.
His exhibitions include, among others, participation in the Paris Salon in 1869, the Olympia Exhibition of 1870, where he received the silver medal first class, as well as that of 1888, and the International Exhibition of Crete; he also exhibited at the Melas House (1881), the Parnassos Hall (1885) and the Society of Art Devotees (1900-1901), while at the same time displaying his works in the windows of Athenian stores.
He originally studied in Corfu under Charalambos Pachis (1872-1875) and completed his studies in Rome, Naples and Venice (1875-1877/78). Returning to Greece he settled in Corfu but also made many trips to Constantinople, Asia Minor, Egypt, Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland, painting landscapes. He began to exhibit in 1875, participating in the Olympia Exhibition, while in 1886 he presented his first solo show at the Athenian Club. There he met the British Ambassador Ford, who commissioned him to do seven albums with landscapes from Constantinople, Rhodes, Venice and Spain, organized his exhibitions in Athens and abroad and introduced him to European court circles. He continued to exhibit throughout his artistic career in both solo and group shows in Greece and abroad, among which were ones at the “Parnassos” and Zappeion Halls, the Artistic Exhibition of Athens in 1899, and the World Exhibition of Paris in 1900. In 1918 he had a large solo show at the GEO gallery, while in 1974 the National Gallery held a retrospective exhibition of his work. In 1902 he founded the Art School of Corfu, at which he also taught, and in 1907/8 he decorated the Vrailas house on Corfu, the country residence of Elizabeth the Empress of Austria, with wall paintings.
After experimenting with a wide range of expressive methods, even while still a student, Giallinas turned to water colour, which he cultivated almost exclusively and developed into one of the most outstanding Greek water colourists, creating a whole school. Painting mainly landscapes (seascapes, monuments of ancient Greece, Byzantium and the East, neighbourhoods and so on) but also a number of genre subjects, he created poetic images which reverberate with a classicistic-romantic point of view and are characterized by a balanced composition, showing special concern for the rendering of details and a sensitivity to chromatic nuances.
Having lost his father, he took his mother’s name instead of the paternal Apostolellis. He studied at the Cydonia high school. In 1913 he entered the third year of the Athens School of Fine Arts, but two years later he interrupted his studies and, after travelling in various countries, settled in Paris till 1919, where he wrote the book Pedro Cazas. He returned to his homeland and taught French and artistic subjects at the high school. After the Asia Minor Disaster he went to Lesbos as a refugee and then Athens and worked on the Εγκυκλοπαιδικόν Λεξικόν Ελευθερουδάκη (Eleftheroudakis Encyclopaedic Dictionary). In 1923 he travelled to Mt. Athos and came into contact with Byzantine painting. The same year he had an exhibition with Konstantinos Maleas and showed his works at the Girls’ Lycee of Athens. He worked as a preservationist at the Byzantine Museum of Athens (1930), the Coptic Museum of Cairo (1933) and the Corfu Museum (1934-1935) while starting in 1936 he worked on the preservation and cleaning of the wall paintings of the Perivleptos church in Mystras. In 1932, assisted by Yannis Tsarouchis and Nikos Engonopoulos, he painted frescoes in his house, which are today in the National Gallery, and in 1933 got his diploma from the School of Fine Arts. He participated in Panhellenies Exhibitions (1938, 1948, 1957) the Venice Biennale of 1934 and the 2nd Biennale of Alexandria (1957). From 1937 to 1939 he did the wall paintings for the City Hall of Athens, employing a Byzantine style. In 1960 he was awarded the prize of the Athens Academy for his two volume Έκφρασις, ήγουν ιστόρησις της παντίμου ορθοδόξου αγιογραφίας (Expression, that is, the History of All-Honorable Orthodox Iconography), published by Astir, as well as being presented with the Order of the Phoenix, while in 1965 he received the Prize of Arts and Letters of the Athens Academy. He painted many churches, among them Kapnikarea in Athens (1942-1953), as well as a large number of portable icons, and was also involved with the illustration and writing of books. Retrospective exhibitions of his work have been organized at the National Gallery (1978), the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Athens (1983), and the Macedonian Center of Contemporary Art (1986). Employing Byzantine and folk painting as the guiding forces of his painting, as well as studying the creations of older periods, such as the portraits of Fayum, he proved with his work to be a firm supporter of the demand for the authenticity of Greek expression, while his contribution to the fashioning of modern ecclesiastical painting is considered definitive.
From a humble Lesbiote family, he showed an inclination for painting at a very early age. He left the island in 1883 and settled in Smyrna till 1897 when he returned with the aim of enlisting as a volunteer at the front of the Greek-Turkish war. Not being able to return to Turkish-occupied Smyrna, he remained in Thessaly, and specifically Volos, and the villages of Pelion, where he decorated shops, cafes and inns with paintings, but without being accepted by the residents of the area because of his eccentric behavior and appearance. In 1927, Theophilos returned to his birthplace in disappointment where he continued to work till his death. A few years earlier, the art critic Stratis Eleftheriadis, known in the artistic circles of Paris as Teriade, at the recommendation of Fotis Kontoglou and Georgios Gounaropoulos, arranged a meeting with Theophilos and ordered works from him for an exhibition in Paris. The exhibition was at last presented in 1936. In 1965 the Theophilos Museum was opened in Vareia, a gift of Teriade.
In Theophilos’ works — wall paintings, painting on objects or cloth — his world is caught with the ingenuousness and innocence, but also the freshness, of folk painting, a world equally of gods, heroes and everyday human beings, which coexists with elements and images from familiar reality and landscape.
He probably trained in the studio of Nikolaos Doxaras in Zakynthos, and under his supervision he painted in 1757 St. John of Damascus and St. Barbara at Ayios Dimitrios, Kollas, which have not survived. In 1760- 1764 he most probably travelled to Venice while in 1766 he was in Zakynthos where he painted the Procession of Ayios Dionysios, a signed and dated painting which is in the women’s loft of the church of Ayios Dionysios. In 1770 he received facial injuries in a brawl. In 1777 he was ordained a priest in Lefkada and then became a parish priest in the churches of his birthplace. Along with his painting and church work he was also involved with writing satirical verse, intensely critical of his period, while his eccentric behaviour such as his subversive and theatrical way of conducting the divine service brought him into conflict with his surroundings. Three religious painting unities, coming from the churches of Zakynthos and specifically from Ayios Spyridon, Flambouriaris, Ayios Georgios, Petroutsis and Ayios Antonios, Andritsis, are attributed to Koutouzis. The representation of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on the urania (ceiling) of the church of the Virgin Mary of Strangers in Corfu, as well as four paintings in the monastery of Ayios Dionysios on Zakynthos, with subjects taken from the life of the saint, are also his works.
A leading figure in Ionian island art during the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century he cultivated mainly religious scenes, while in the context of secular painting his contribution to the development of portraiture is considered most important. He followed the models of the Italian baroque and broke with the tradition of post-Byzantine art, both on the level of technique and of visual treatment. His work exercised an influence on his fellow artists and was carried on in the painting of his student, Nikolaos Kantounis.
From an artistic family with Chiote origins, he was the nephew of the Zakynthian painter Ioannis Korais or Kastrinos (died 1799) under whom he trained. He worked in Zakynthos painting religious icons and portraits.
His interest in painting manifested itself during his student years but he never took formal lessons. His acquaintance with the philosopher Giorgos Makris, however, was decisive and led him to a systematic involvement with art. During 1958-1960 he lived in Paris where he met Alberto Giacometti and other important figures and became close friends with Thanasis Tsingos. In 1968 he went to Berlin on a scholarship from D.A.A.D. remaining, all in all, until 1984. There he met Konstantinos Xenakis and came into contact with dancing and theater circles, rekindling his interest in the theater.
In 1965 he had his first solo show at the French Institute of Athens which the critics received with reservations. This was followed by other solo presentations in various European galleries, that of Alexandros Iolas among them, as well as participations in group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, while in 1998 his work was presented in a retrospective at the National Gallery.
A restless and rebellious figure, Akrithakis rejected all forms of compromise and made art out of life itself. His first stage of work includes linear compositions, in black-and-white, the so-called “tsiki-tsiki”, created by starting from a chance dot on the paper. Later he began to use specific expressive symbols, such as the sun, fire, eye, bird, heart, helicopter, airplane, row-boat, and the arrow and created compositions with intense color contrasts and outlines; there was also the suitcase, a repeated symbol of eternal escape. In a later stage, employing new or used wood and incorporating various cheap materials on its surface, he created wooden constructions, which he then enhanced by painting on them and adding little lights, mirrors and plastic flowers. At the same time he did a series of collages while in 1986 in cooperation with Giorgos Lappas, he created his “Circus”. On a more limited scale, he was also involved with the illustration of books and made sets and costumes for theatrical performances.
After his high school studies, he trained under the icon painter G. Sarafianos. In 1923 he came to Athens and studied at the School of Fine Arts under Georgios Jakovides, Dimitrios Geraniotis, Pavlos Mathiopoulos and Nikolaos Lytras. He graduated in 1929 and the following year went to Paris where he stayed until 1932, taking lessons from P. Le Doux and H. Morisset. At the same time he copied works at the Louvre and travelled to Belgium to study Flemish painting.
Returning to Greece he associated himself with the circle New Pathfinders and in 1934 participated in the founding of the group Free Artists. In 1935 he went back to Paris, where he attended lessons at the School of Fine Arts and the Colarossi and Grande Chaumiere Academies and in 1937 became a member of the group Paris- Montparnasse. In 1939 he returned to Greece and two years later was appointed to the National Archeological Museum where he worked until 1969. In 1960 he made a large wall painting at the museum on the theme of ancient Greek ceramics. During the German occupation he took part in the resistance and in 1944 was a leader in the movement for the establishment of a Chamber of Art. In 1949 he founded, along with several colleagues, the group The Extremists which presented works of non-figurative art for the first time in Greece.
Having started his exhibition career in a cafe in Lamia in 1923, he then presented his work in solo, Panhellenies and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad; notable appearances were made at the Biennales of Sao Paolo in 1953, 1955 (at which he won the silver medal) and 1957, Alexandria in 1959 and Venice in 1960. In 1976 a retrospective of his work was organized at the National Gallery which was followed by other retrospectives in Greece and abroad.
In 1950 the Greek section of AICA recommended him for the Guggenheim Prize and in 1973 he was awarded the First State Prize but he refused to accept it as a sign of protest against the Greek dictatorship. A man with a variety of interests, he was also involved with book and magazine illustration, gave lectures and published the books, Η σημερινή ζωγραφική (Painting Today) (1951), Εγκώμιον της Σιωπής (In Praise of Silence) (1970), Αισθητικά δοκίμια (Aesthetic Essays) (1971) and Πνευματική ευθύνη (Intellectual Responsibility) (1973) which are concerned with art matters. After his death, his house in Ayia Paraskevi was donated by his wife and now operates as the Alekos Kontopoulos Library while in the Municipal Gallery of Lamia is housed the Alekos Kontopoulos Gallery.
Faithful to realistic depiction in the beginning and indifferent to abstract trends he came to know in the French capital, he painted landscapes, portraits and nudes, as well as compositions characterized by a taste for social criticism. But from 1947 on, and particularly during the Fifties, he turned to non-figurative art where he proved to be a pathfinder, contributing decisively to the spread of abstract art in Greece.
