39. MICHALIS ECONOMOU (1888-1933) Art & décoration

Description

39. MICHALIS ECONOMOU (1888-1933) Maison au bord de la mer signé « M. Economou » (en bas à droite) huile sur toile 50 x 61,5 cm. (19.7 × 24.2 in.) Provenance Dimitris Margaronis collection, Athens and hence by decent to the present owner. This luminous painting of arresting charm showcases Economou's ability to feel the heartbeat of the seaside landscape and distil its expressive potential and inherent poetry. Relying on swift, freely applied gestural brushstrokes, thick impasto, and deft handling of spatula and brush, the artist conveyed visual and tactile sensations that transformed an ordinary subject into a vision of humble monumentality. The eye is invited into the picture through a barren piece of land in the foreground and then travels upwards to the evocative adobe-like structure which rules over the pictorial space. As noted by artist G. Rorris, "this genuinely poetic painter turned his gaze to his homeland and rediscovered it in the small, shanty houses, in those 'god-built' structures, as architect Aris Konstantinidis would later call them."1 As the composition unfolds, it reveals the unfathomable sea, inviting the viewer to delve into its mystery and magic. Rendered from a high vantage point that allows the artist to elevate the horizon and extend the pictorial surface to the limits of the canvas, the cresting waters are handled with energetic brushwork, as well as with glazes and transparencies that create a multitude of tones, showcasing the painter's alchemy in working with colours. As noted by A. Kouria who wrote the artist's monograph, Economou's fascination with colour is clearly visible in his views of the sea, capturing all its energy and perpetual movement. The unfolding of the subject, with its somewhat low perspective, emphasis on the foreground, and elevated horizon, allowed him to render the sea as an autonomous subject rather than as part of a landscape.2 Exquisite in colour and tone, and faultless in design and execution, Economou's poetic visions were fervently sought after as early as the late 1920s, entering the prestigious collections of Antonis Benakis, Christos Loulis, and Georgios Stringos. 1 : G. Rorris, "A Few Thoughts about Michalis Economou" in Michalis Economou, The Alchemy of Painting, exhibition catalogue, E. Averoff Museum of Modern Greek Art, Metsovo - Evangelos Averoff-Tossizza Foundation, 2023, p. 237. 2 : A. Kouria, Michalis Economou [in Greek], Adam editions, Athens 2001, pp. 31-32.