Periclis Vyzantios

Periklis Vyzantios studied painting at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris. Greek artists from the Nineteenth Century to the present day, such as Ralli, Maleas, Papaloukas, Ghika, Economou, Parthenis, Bouzianis, Tsarouchis, Fassianos, Kessanlis and Pavlos - to name but a few - have been attracted by the 'City of Light', which has held an undeniable allure and spell over artists and writers for over two centuries.

It was notably at the beginning of the 20th Century that Paris gained a reputation as the most vital international centre for painting and sculpture, and attracted restless Greeks who wanted to broaden their horizons and personally experience the new ideas that were born here. 'What do I think of Paris?' wondered the young Vyzantios in his diary in 1912. 'I started to breathe! First of all I got the impression that people in Paris were free. Then I saw a large city, with tradition, rivers, old bridges, the unbelievable gothic beauty of the church of the Holy Virgin, Louvre's grand palace, young men and women that were laughing and were sitting together in the cafeterias.'

While in Paris, Vyzantios was exposed to the concept of painting modern life genre scenes, a tradition started by Degas and the Impressionists. Vyzantios returned to Greece in 1921 and in 1939 was appointed Director of the School of Fine Arts on Hydra. It is likely that A Horse-Drawn Carriage was painted on the island and depicts one of Hydra's typical carriages that exist to this day.

Vyzantios cropped the composition of the present work in an unconventional way, cutting off part of the carriage along the right margin. This compositional technique owed something to the example of Japanese colour prints, which had initially inspired Degas and the Impressionists, and informed their depictions of modern life. This technique was also grounded in close observation as well as being Vyzanthios's means of suggesting the distinctive character of the visual experience of the world around him, and of the glimpses and passing images encountered on the island.