60 - CONSTANTINOS MALEAS (1879–1928)

CONSTANTINOS MALEAS (1879–1928) Bush / Beach in Lebanon signed “Maleas” (lower right) oil on hardboard 29 x 40 cm. (11.42 × 15.75 in.) oil on cardboard Footnotes: Provenance D. Staikos collection, Athens. (from A. Kotidis, The Painter C. Maleas). M. Daikos collection, Athens. (from label on the reverse) Private collection, Athens. Exhibitions Constantinople, C. Maleas, November–December 1910 (possibly). Athens, Parnassos Literary Society Exhibition Hall, Exhibition of Paintings by C. Maleas, October 22–November 1917 (possibly). Athens, National Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Constantinos Maleas, April 14–July 1980, no. 45 (listed in the exhibition catalog, p. 45). Bibliography A. Kotidis, The Painter C. Maleas (1879–1928), doctoral dissertation, Thessaloniki 1982, p. 64 (discussed), p. 82 (mentioned), p. 247, no. 45 (cataloged), fig. 2.31 (illustrated). A. Kotidis, Constantinos Maleas (1879–1928), Adam Editions, Athens 2000, p. 71 (discussed), p. 92 (mentioned), p. 327, no. 60 (cataloged), p. 68, fig. 35 (illustrated). As noted by Professor A. Kotidis, who wrote the artist’s monograph, “Buisson-Plage au Liban” is Maleas’s first work in which the process of transforming natural shapes into pictorial forms becomes evident. As the painter’s brushstrokes unfold into bands of color, we perceive a gradual intensification of tones as they recede toward the background, allowing them to stand out with at least the same vividness as in the foreground. This essentially eliminates the illusion of depth and unifies the planes across the pictorial surface. Later, this approach would evolve into a signature trait of Maleas’s mature style.'1 In 1908, Maleas began a series of journeys to the Near East, and in 1910 he visited Lebanon in search of the country’s unique character and alluring atmosphere. With works such as the present lot, where the subject serves as a pretext for the artist to evoke an emotional response, Greek Orientalism—as represented after 1870 by the paintings of Gysis, Lytras, Ralli, and Sabbides—takes on a completely different direction. Here, the Orient is depicted through the eyes of a dedicated modern painter, much like Matisse, Macke, or Klee, who also traveled to the Near East around the same time as Maleas. The artist’s trip to Lebanon essentially ushered in a new phase of evolution, during which Greek painting engaged in a fruitful dialogue with the avant-garde trends of early 20th-century European art. 1. A. Kotidis, Constantinos Maleas [in Greek], Adam Editions, Athens 2000, p. 71. For further information on this lot, please visit Bonhams.com