Lot 115: Theofrastos Triantafyllidis (1881-1955)

On stage / Open air performance
signed in greek (upper right)
oil on card laid down on canvas
27.5 x 35 cm. (11 x 13 3/4 in.)

Antonis Kotidis, Triantafyllidis, University Studio Press, Thessaloniki 2002,
no 188, p. 269 (illustrated).

Triantafyllides was an outstanding pre-war Greek expressionist, unique among his generation for the broad range of themes that he explored and the variety of his styles. After studying under Giorgos Jakobides at the School of Fine Arts in Athens, Triantafyllides left for Munich in 1908 to continue his training. Finding the academic atmosphere too stifling, he embarked for Paris where he remained until 1912. His exposure to the multifaceted artistic movements flourishing in the French capital at the time, guided him in developing his own pictorial vocabulary. A few years after settling in Athens, he became a founding member of the "Omada Technis" ("Art Group") in 1917, the first organised effort to overthrow the academic styles of the past and seek a fresh approach to artistic expression.

As his work developed, he began to forego perspective and superfluous detail, opting instead for a more generalised depiction of reality. In the present picture, Triantafyllides has depicted an outdoor theatre, a popular form of summer entertainment. He captures its excitement and magnetism by focusing on the brightly lit stage. Fully absorbed in the performance, the audience is depicted in the semi-shadows.

Vassilikiotis collection.
Private collection, Athens.