Konstantinos Maleas Greek, 1879-1928

Estimate

50,000 - 70,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Konstantinos Maleas
Still Life with Red Snapper, Naxos
signed, inscribed and dated1920 l.l.
oil on board
57 by 47.5cm., 22½ by 18¾in.

Provenance

Private Collection, Athens

Exhibited

Athens, National Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Maleas Retrospective, May-July, 1980, no. 90

Literature

Antonis Kotidis, The Artist K. Maleas, Thessaloniki, 1982, p. 265, no. 137, illustrated
Yiannis Kolokotronis, The Still Life in Neo-Hellenic Art from the 19th Century to the Present, Thessaloniki, 1992, p. 81, illustrated
Antonis Kotidis, Konstantinos Maleas, Athens, 2000, no. 186, pp. 152-154 & 339, as Naxos

Catalogue Note

Painted in Naxos, the present work, with its brilliant colours and unmistakable technique, is one of the most important examples of a still-life by the artist to appear at auction.

The so-called 'Generation of the Thirties' - comprising such modernists as Maleas, Nicholas Lytras, Spyros Papaloukas and Constantinos Parthenis - represented a reaction against conservative currents in painting and the institutions that fostered them. Most were members of the Omas Techni, a group that mounted in 1917 the first Secessionist exhibition in Greek art.

Maleas studied with Henri Martin in Paris from 1901-1908. A fervent admirer of van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne, he would remain faithful to post-impressionist thinking throughout his career. His pivotal importance in Greek painting is ascribed to the assimilation of Pont-Aven Symbolism, the arabesque line and flattened space of Art Nouveau and the highly-keyed, expressive palettes of Fauvism.

One can clearly see the influence of Van Gogh in the present work. Still Life with Red Snapper shows the artist in full strength, using his technique of boldly applied brushstrokes, and strong contrasting colours. The fish, painted in warm browns and reds, is offset by the much cooler tones of the blue-green background.