Triptych E, 1969

Yannis Spyropoulos is a major representative of non-figurative art in Greece. Triptych V is a composition of monumental proportions that represents the final, most mature period of his abstract painting in which the black ground prevailed. This style could be called painting with well-lit darkness. Luminous incidents dominated by white, greys or bright colors emerge from the dark ground of the painting, like testimonies of a life that passed and left its traces on the canvas. These relics occasionally resemble fabric, mysterious symbols, or fragments of writing. Spyropoulos works the surface like a palimpsest with layers and disclosures that intensify its imposing magic. All this poetic painterly process obeys strict rules. Although he frequently uses collage or scraping to remove the paint, the final outcome appears highly refined as though not by hand. The organization of the composition with its strong, slightly slanted verticals is classical. The straight white lines, engraved according to cannon, underline the two dimensions of the picture, removing the sense of depth imposed by the various incidents. The assertion of the two-dimensionality of the picture plane was a constant pursuit of modern art.