Lot 35: Theofrastos Triantafyllidis (Greek, 1881-1955) Still life 26 x 35.5 cm

Still life
signed with initials (middle right)
oil on panel
26 x 35.5 cm

Alluding to an archetypal world of pure forms and recalling the linear definition of ‘cloisonism’ that emerged in the late 1880s, this vibrant still life of dynamic colour and disciplined design is a tribute to Cezanne and Gauguin who envisioned an art less reliant on the recording of visual phenomena but aspiring to greater visual complexity and structural rigour. A simple arrangement of fruit, pottery and rumbled linen, modelled not through tonal gradations but through close juxtapositions of varied hues evoking tactile roundness, becomes a fertile field for Triantafyllidis to tackle complex issues of volume, space and colour relationships.