One is a heroine from the Greek war of independence, Laskarina Bouboulina : A naval captain, a mother of 7 who led one of the most successful battles. Her exploits and accomplishments extraordinary in daring, courage and historically unprecedented. The other is Goddess Athena from the world of mythology and mount Olympus.
Greek feminine powers meet to discuss matters of the heart, national importance, their visions and other stories. Complex women, beautiful, majestic, both masters of strategic warfare formidable and attributed masculine traits. They sit very close, like true allies.
Each emerging with birds on their shoulders , one an eagle the other an owl, recognizable symbols of their ideals and gifts.
The metaphor of the siren, tempting emotions and judgment; stirring the pot of complexity a little further.
This is one of 4 paintings I completed in 2021 as part of my RANDEVOUZ AT THE TAVERN Series. They explore the metaphor of the tavern as a magical meeting place.
Similar to the popular invitation: “who from the world stage would you invite to dinner if you could ?
Through art I take liberty as a painter and storyteller to create space for characters from my cultural heritage to meet for the first time
All four paintings present powerful figures from across Greece’s cultural tapestry, bridging dimensions of folklore, history and mythology.
Like all good hosts know, there is an art to bringing friends together. Sometimes they are strangers with only one person in common. Such meetings create new opportunities of connection for everyone. The viewer is an additional guest at the tables of ‘Rendezvous at the tavern’.
You are invited into the conversation, to respond, reflect and interpret perhaps pass judgment on what you see.
The paintings may be considered as theatrical scenarios set up to give characters the opportunity to retell their stories in new ways. These archetypes are both universal and Hellenic in nature, belong to the diasporic collective and are part of my personal inner world.
Artistically I noticed a gradual evolution from an iconic and abstract figurative language to more realistic rendering of the human figure. So too the series and its subject matter is sure to continue and evolve as it has stylistically.
