50 - THEOFILOS HADJIMICHAEL (1871-1934)

THEOFILOS HADJIMICHAEL (1871-1934) Village à Lesvos pigments naturels sur carton 67,5 x 97 cm. (26.57 × 38.19 in.) natural pigments on cardboard Footnotes: Provenance Taktikos collection. Private collection, Athens. Imbued with a spirit of untutored simplicity and handled with confident brushwork and vibrant colour, this engaging picture reflects Theofilos's fascination with rural life and the natural environment of his native Mytilene. Theofilos had vivid impressions of everyday pastoral activities, as the island was home to a significant population of a local sheep breed. Furthermore, since Homeric times, flocks had constituted the primary form of wealth and the principal means of payment in the region.1 The scene teems with motion and activity. Alongside the grazing sheep, a woman milks a cow, two others carry pails of milk, a man strokes a calf's head, and another-carrying the ubiquitous kariofili musket and dressed in the traditional fustanella kilt (Theofilos's signature attribute)-plays his shepherd's pipe. The scene is rounded out with goats, ducks, and dogs essential for safeguarding both people and animals. Every part of the picture is an integral part of the whole, evoking a sense of home and domesticity. Everything seems to grow right out of the landscape. The painter O. Kanellis, one of the first to discover the work of Theofilos, made the following insightful remark: 'Without realizing it, Theofilos sought to illuminate the truth of Greek nature with people being part of it. His paintings are fields of shapes and patches of colour that are integral to the natural environment, helping him express an overall feeling emanating from life itself, a feeling based on pure vision and the observation of nature. When we see an outdoor scene by Theofilos we hardly think that we see the landscape from a distance, but rather that we live in it, that we actually walk through it. Any sense of distance is eliminated and we are surrounded by lush trees, pristine grasslands and crystal clear waters in a lucid, diaphanous atmosphere. Only Bonnard and Theofilos were able to convey this feeling.'2 1. See G. Petris, The Painter Theofilos [in Greek], Exandas editions, Athens 1978, p. 55. 2. O. Kanellis, 'The Painter Theofilos' [in Greek], Tachydromos magazine, no. 379, July 15, 1961. Saleroom notices: *Veuillez noter qu'en raison de la réglementation grecque, ce lot ne peut être exporté de Grèce et sera disponible pour consultation et inspection à Athènes sur rendez-vous ou lors de l'Athens Preview. Cette œuvre restera à Athènes pendant la vente aux enchères. *Please note that due to Greek regulation, this lot cannot be exported from Greece and will be available for viewing and inspection in Athens either by appointment or during the Athens Preview. This work will be located in Athens during the auction. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com