Michalis Economou Greek, 1888-1933

Georgios Gounaropoulos, Athens
Acquired from the above by the father of the present owner circa 1940

Executed in browns and whites the present work depicts houses in Athens with the Acropolis in the distance. Economou painted the Acropolis in several works from various angles and at different times of the day throughout his oeuvre. Aphrodite Kouria comments on the present work: 'Painted in extreme contrasts of light and shadow, a white winding road leads one's eye towards the sacred mount where the Parthenon rests. We have here clearly an idiosyncratic work, which reaches the pinnacle with a dramatic turbulent landscape... According to the artist's wife, Economou discussed a "golden light" from which he could see the Acropolis. The warm tonality "dresses" the composition together with the texture of the flannel support that brings the viewer a sense of unity.'(Aphrodite Kouria, Michalis Economou 1884-1933, Athens, 2001, p. 119).  

'By studying his works one can be fairly certain that Economou accepted the dictates of the nineteenth and early twentieth century movements, which established the value of colour as a self-sufficient means of expression and the use of the flat surface of painting as pictorial space. In particular, his paintings on flannel demonstrate that he was fully aware of the expressive power of simplification and of larger areas of colour.' (Aphrodite Kouria, Michalis Economou: As Individualistic Interpreter of Greek Landscapes, Zygos, Athens, 1983, p. 44).