JOIN USTo an Indian eye, a woman’s face amid flowers might appear as if she is enjoying the beauty of nature. But according to the Greek artist, Fortini Hamidieli, the water colour painting titled ‘Secret Garden’ depicts a female figure in a maze of line.
Assumptions about art change when viewed in cultural context of the artist and his milieu. And cultural exchanges are one means through which one gains an insight into and better understanding of the works of artists from other parts of the world.
The artwork of Hamidieli, displayed as part of the exhibition ‘Sketbe-Greece’, provides a similar experience to the Indian art aficionados. Organised by Prithvi Fine Art and Cultural Centre, this exhibition includes works of 18 Greek artists curated by Sangeeta Gupta, as part of a premier cultural exchange programme.
A look at the paintings and the contemporary art scene of Greece and Europe comes across as quite modern. One can spot in them a figurative-style among abstract with utter simplicity. Undoubtedly, a lot of artists have invested in creating abstractions and video art. “It is only in big museums that one can spot classical works of renowned artists,” says Frosso Vizovitou, an artist from Greece whose work is also showcased in the exhibition.
Titled ‘Oppression’, her artwork is quite symbolic and is themed on the concept of “universal woman who can’t show the world what she wants,” explains Vizovitou as one refers to her peculiar style of drawing the human body and inclusion of words ‘WMN’ and ‘AURAT’ in her work. “It’s my personal choice. My painting is a combination of Greek and Indian elements which represents human energy and is a link of the cultural exchange.”
Even the artwork ‘Colors of India’ by Ioulia Manousi appears to be another link of this exchange. The artist paints a vibrant butterfly which is a coloured copy of how the result of the Rorschach inkblot test (conducted by psychologists to examine personality characteristics) look like.
In a complete contrast to these are the artworks of Kyriaki Charalambidou and Lorraine Dietrich. While the former chooses to paint a solitary girl in a field of red flowers, the latter paints an intense picture of a yellow flower and names the work ‘Limineuse Romance’. Though these artists choose nature as their muse, few of their contemporaries stick to the old Greek-style of art.
The painting titled ‘Eros’ by Konstantinos Balian is one such example. In this the artist uses a technique that reminds of great artists of the bygone era. “He makes use of egg camera – a kind of colour that was used to make pictures of Greek icons. Plus, the artist is also an architect, so one would often find her work against some building,” adds Vizovitou as one notices the soul (represented through wings) being tied with a rope. It is a perfect example of how we are tied between buildings psychologically.
The exhibition is on display at Lalit Kala Akademi till August 1.