Andreas Asproftas (1919 -2004)

"The Other Point of View"

This exhibition opened at the Famagusta Gate on Tuesday and will continue until October19.

The Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts (EKATE) and Andreas’s son Akis Asproftas have organised his retrospective that is under the auspices of the Bishop of Kykko and Tylliria, Nikiforos who conveyed his greetings.

Sponsored by the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Nicosia Municipality and the Hellenic Bank it was opened by the honorary President of Edek Dr Vassos Lyssarides.

The first book devoted to the painter, written by art historian and reporter Marina Schiza and edited by Akis Asproftas, was presented on the evening of the opening of the exhibition by archaeologist and art historian Anna Marangou.

Four years have passed since painter Andreas Asproftas passed away. There were numerous discussions over his life and work among his friends as well as by the broader circle of the painter, until his son Akis made a definite decision to present it so that the whole spectrum of the painter’s work would be revealed.

He had many private exhibitions and participated in various group exhibitions both in Cyprus and abroad. His works are in many institutions, government buildings, embassies in Cyprus and overseas, in the Archbishopric, Archbishop Makarios’s museum and in many private collections.

Some of his paintings happened to be in the Presidential Palace and were destroyed during the 1974 military coup.

Andreas Asproftas was a founding member of the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Art (EKATE), which together with Akis Asproftas undertook to organie this first retrospective exhibition.

The public now have the chance to see a great part of the artist’s private collection as well as his son’s, most of which will be presented for the first time and will testify of Andreas’s mutli-faceted talent.

Prolongations of Red

Ermioni Zachariadou’s exhibition will take place on Wednesday October 15 at ALPHA GALLERY. The Minister of Finance Charilaos Stavrakis will open the exhibition at 8.00pm.

Ermioni says: "This new work was the product of restless search through four difficult years in my life, having lost both my parents. In this work I explore the possibilities of red, by using it as the base of my paintings. I also continue to try to paint outside the canvas by extending parts of the painting, but instead of using plexi-glass like I did before, now I use wood which I carve, or paint on".

Paintings of Ermioni’s belong to unique private collections in England at Chilham Castle, France, Italy, Greece, United States and Cyprus.

Ermioni was born on October 30, 1958 in Nicosia. She studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London and completed her Diploma in 1981 in Art and Design (painting) with honours.

In June 1983 her work won the first prize - Harold Workman Award - at the exhibition by the United Artists of the Federation of British Artists.

A year later in 1984 she was a finalist for the Windsor & Newton Young Artist Award Scheme at the Royal Institute of Oil Painter (ROI), and for 1985 as well.

In 1990 Ermioni returned to Cyprus and began exhibiting at the ‘EKATE’ annuals having her own individual exhibition the next year. Ermioni started teaching at her own studio for G.C.S.E. level and in the evening provided classes for mature students.

In 1993 she had an exhibition later ‘Light and Life’ and a year participated in "Grand Prix d’Arts Plastiques in France. Her Cyprus solo exhibitions continued with great success receiving excellent reviews.

The Department of Culture have bought her work and she has work in the National Gallery of Cyprus and there is much demand by the public.

A painting by her was bought by the Bishop Achaeas Athanassios and hangs at the Representation of the Church of Greece to the European Union. Her exhibition in 2004 was hugely popular. Her latest exhibition is a must.

Chorochronos

Julia Georgiadou at Rouan Gallery, Limassol. This exhibition has opened and will continue until October 20.

The artist has given us some "Thoughts on Creation."

"Straight line, zig-zagged line, curved line, gross line, time line, horizontal line, start line, deadline, border line, offensive line, defensive line, and so many other lines. I believe that everything around us is formed by lines. Sometimes they become visual through all the creations that have shape, form or figure and sometimes they explain a circumstance or even a point in time.

It is easier said than done to try to entangle your work with lines. Working with lines you start considering lines as a fact of life or as your life’s fact. Without even realising you may find yourself painting a prison of feelings and thought. Whatever we may say now, or whatever we try to change, every ‘line’ can exist on a different dimension in time.

Since everything that we are surrounded with is of lines, I decided to build and compose my work in that way. Based on lines and linear marks, I tried to create some shapes and figures, which in fact do not exist in reality but they exist just like lines (or vise-versa). A figure, and/or, a shape, that is presented can be composed by infinity of points (a following of pointillism). The existence of the lines make the structure of the figure disappear, so new born aspects and/or concepts are created, that can be translated differently by each one of us."

Cerulean water vistas Cerulean Infinity

Aristotelis Demetriou is at Gallery K. This exhibition opened on Wednesday. Last week the Arts Page published an excellent account by Dr Nadia Anaxagorou of Aristotelis’ latest exhibition.

I haven’t seen the current exhibition at the time of writing this piece but here is something I wrote about a former show of his a couple of years back. It was of landscape.

"Demetriou of the third generation, is however, of that same genuine calibre as the earlier ones. He can be seen with his canvas and easel spending hours in the open creating wondrous original paintings

The unique combination of colour suffused with an air-laden, gentle yellow is still there to be placed down, to be heightened or softened according to his mood.

With such command of his canvas he is able to absorb the saturated essentials of the light and grasp the structural strength of the earth with such an imaginative understanding and compassion that he can develop from his acute aesthetic vision something new in Cyprus landscape painting, without losing out on the authority or feeling of belonging to the land as any of the masters of the past. He is his own master. His work is unique.

It is both a highly contemporary vision and timeless as well.

In his seascapes he may enrich the blue of the sky in order to give spatial value to the sea. A moment of time caught in the rhythm of the elements surrounded by the solidity of the beach and rocks.

A lot to see

The last few days have been packed with fine exhibitions.

Rinos Stefani’s exhibition opened at Gloria’s on Thursday. Enitled "Acrobats, 1998 -2008”.

The artist has recently returned from China. Full report next week. The exhibition continues until October 25.

Theodora Papachrysostomou opened at Argo, Nicosia, as well on Wednesday as did Yiannis Karayiannis at Opus 39. Papachrysostomou calls her work "WALL-PAPERS" on her invite.

This is a strange title because – having looked through the window I saw extremely well drawn realistic figurative art.

Don’t miss Apocalypse’ exhibition either. It’s by Miriam McConnon-Papageorgiou.

There is a lot of new and exciting work in Nicosia and Amorgos too has its annual OPEN DAY exhibition to be opened by the Minister of Interior Neoklis Sylikiotis on Monday.

MEANWHILE, OPEN STUDIOS AWAIT YOU.

Three for Athens

After his success in Ljubliana, Christos Avraamides exhibition travels to Greece and has now opened at Angelou Vema (The Step of the Angels), continuing until November 2.

Charalambos and Vaso Segiou’s exhibition "Unauthorised Histories’" opened at The House of Cyprus last night, continuing until October 29.