|
CHRISTOS CHRISTOU AT "MORFI" (by Dr. Antonis Danos, art historian. ©2002) The art of Christou (painting and lithography) is as old as it is contemporary. Its roots can be traced in pre-history as well as in Byzantium, in the Renaissance as well as in modernism, even in post-modern painting. "Horses on the mountains" (2002, acrylic), like the older "Trilogy of the seven horses" (1997, three lithographs), contains references to pre-historic cave paintings; this connection is reinforced, both formalistically and technically, by his smaller animal studies, made in ink. In general, animals figure prominently in Christou's work, particularly horses and bulls (as well as goats). The artist imbues such images with both spiritual and symbolic qualities: often, a horse or a bull rises above sleeping human figures, constituting an extension of their personality: an allegory of their dreams, their fears, perhaps their desires. Works such as the "Duel (horse and bull)" (2002, acrylic) betray, moreover, an affinity with animal images created by the German expressionist Franz Marc (1880-1916), from the early 20th century: like the earlier pictures, the sensuality of the voluminous bodies co-exists with a strong spiritual quality, constituting a hymn to nature. The relation between Christou's work and early 20th-century modernism becomes even more apparent in such works as the "Revolving young girl" and "Portrait of an angel" (2002, acrylics), which carry influences from synthetic Cubism (of Picasso and of the Russian avant-guardists), while they still retain their own uniqueness. In several other works, especially lithographs, the surrounding space is rendered in gold - a direct reference to Byzantine hagiography. The golden base emphasises the flatness of the medium, subverting, therefore, the illusionistic function of the picture; while, at the same time, it alludes to a transcendental realm, thus imbuing the image with a spiritual quality. The Byzantine influence becomes reinforced by the stylised, vertical development of the background landscape, in works such as "Angel of the cave" (1998, acrylic). The "Window" (1997, lithograph), on the other hand, contains references to the flat, stylised, decorative qualities of traditional Japanese art - both this and Byzantine art were among the formal sources of modern art around the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. Renaissance art constitutes an additional aspect in the richness and variation of sources from periods in the history of art, as encountered in Christou's work. The formal qualities of the figures in works such as the "Birth of an angel" (1997, lithograph) and "Suspended angel" (2002, acrylic) point to prototypes in the art of the High Renaissance, even though, the dominant renaissance reference in his work is offered by the work of Pierro della Francesca (c. 1410/20-1492). There is, finally, a series of works by Christou, like the "Kiss of reconciliation" (1991, pictured on the exhibition's invitation), where human figures (portrayed from the shoulders up) crowd the picture surface, offering the simultaneous impression of lively social interaction, of existentialist meditation, and of the strive for genuine human contact or of its absence. In terms of iconography, form, as well as technique (with the high "finish" of the picture surface), these works contain elements from Baroque group portraits, from traditional Japanese art, but also from post-modern representational painting. Once again, therefore, Christou's oeuvre appears to constitute an important and exciting amalgam of various expressions from the entire history of art, through which the artist gives expression to his own spiritual and artistic quests. Dr. Antonis Danos, art historian. |