THE MEDITERRANEAN MARKET GARDENER
It’s been a year of commissioned paintings so far with particular emphasis on revisiting older but much-loved works. This gives me the opportunity to expand and reimagine a piece, get curious.
Inspired by the 2001 Athens Market Gardener modern icon, this recent version more broadly encapsulates the liveliness of southern European farmer’s markets.. A feast for the senses
In the suburbs of Athens the fresh produce markets come to you. They are called the ‘Laiki Agora:’ The People’s Market. One select day of the week a street in your suburb would go from grey bitchumen to a full spectrum of colour. My street in Gizi, central Athens, was one of the chosen ones and would be transformed into a bustling corridor of market stalls every Tuesday.
I learnt to barter, to choose fresh and sweet fruits and to scout out the prices at the many stalls before walking off with the most delicious bounty. I learnt to be assertive, to make sure I said hello to my favorite stall holders, to accept compliments and buy something new to try every now and then. I always made the most of the vibrant energy I was lucky to live amongst. A full array of fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, flowers, even fresh fish, the smells, the sounds and the characters, the boisterous, flirtatious, loud and full of life characters that would generously sell their produce right at you door step. This used to be one of my favorite days of the week.
The commissioned piece retains the colorful bounty of the Athens Market Gardener. This much larger version has artichokes, figs, bell peppers, rainbow gelati and bicycles to represent the patron Liz and John’s travels in Switzerland, France and italy. It connects them to the flavors, aromas and warmth of a bustling, colorful vision of cultures that bring people together
THE ATHENS MARKET GARDENER modern icon 2000
Efrossini Chaniotis , MARCH 2023