Lot 92: Michalis Economou (Greek 1888-1933)

Trees by the sea
signed 'M. Economou' (lower left)
oil on canvas laid down on cardboard
26 x 42 cm. (10 x 16 1/2 in.)

Provenance:
Private collection, Athens

Literature:
Afrodite Kouria, M. Economou, Adam publications, Athens 2001, no. 51, p. 88 (illustrated)

The sea, lakes and rivers are featured frequently in the works of Economou. Through the element of water, the artist wished to depict the passage of time at the same time that he tried to record his own instinctual responses to nature. "My intention is to give sensation, as much as I can," he once said, "always more sensation". This he achieved through a restrained use of colour and the elimination of details. In the present work, the artist carefully introduces a few splashes of colour to balance the composition.