Spyros Papaloukas

Private collection, Athens (acquired directly from the artist)

Manos Kambanis & Agrotiki Pinakothinki, Spyros Papaloukas, Mount Athos, 2003, no. 66 (with incorrect measurements)

Oil on paper fully laid on very fine linen canvas. There are some fine, scattered tears along the extreme framing edges (some of which are visible in the catalogue illustration) which have mostly been restored and therefore appear to be stable. There are also some very minor paper losses in the upper right corner and in the centre of the lower edge, only visible upon close inspection. Some horizontal lines of craquelure are visible in the lower left quadrant - these appear to be stable and might be associated to previous folding lines. Ultra-violet light reveals minor spots of retouching in the extreme four corners. The main composition appears to be untouched. This work presents very well, is overall in good condition and is ready to hang. Presented in a simple floating wooden frame.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Mount Athos, the holy mount is set on a peninsula of extraordinary natural beauty and has attracted painters as well as worshippers. Having initially trained as an apprentice to an icon painter, Papaloukas returned to Mount Athos in 1923 to recover from his experiences as a war artist in the Greek army during the Asia Minor campaign, to further his studies of Byzantine iconography, and to paint the local scenery. The present work is a rich example of Papaloukas' finest works from his Mount Athos period.

Papaloukas' profound appreciation and reverence for the beauty of the Greek countryside started at a young age, the artist himself stating: 'Ever since I was a small boy in my village, I explored my homeland inch by inch. I strolled the hills and vales, wandered along the paths, over the mountains with their gorges and streams, with their snows and rainfalls' (quoted by Marina Lambraki-Plaka, 'The Painting of Paploukas: A Spiritual Adventure', Spyros Papaloukas, Athens, 2007, p. 11). The traumatic experience of the Asia Minor Campaign had created a need for national self-affirmation in Greece, which was expressed in literature and the visual arts through a turn to tradition. A member of the Generation of the Thirties, Papaloukas was no exception, and sought comfort in a return to the Byzantine tradition while striving to combine it with contemporary ideas on painting. Following Papaloukas' return from his four-year stay in Paris in 1921, the artist focused on painting the landscape and people of his homeland, incorporating the maxims and elements of the aesthetic of the Cubists, Impressionists, Nabis and Fauves.