Theofilos Hadjimichael

(Greek, 1871-1934)

Celebrating the new cognac vintage in Piraeus 72.5 x 81 cm.

Footnotes

Provenance
Constantinos Koumbas collection, Mytilene
Inherited from the above by the present owner.

Exhibited
Mytilene, Tourist Pavilion, The Painter Theofilos on Mytilene, October 7-30, 1962, no. 23 (listed in the exhibition catalogue).

Literature
Theofilos, Commercial Bank of Greece edition, Athens 1966, no. 103 (illustrated).
The Greek Painters - From the 19th to the 20th Century, vol. 1, Melissa editions, Athens 1974, p. 460 (mentioned).
A. Hadjiyannaki, Theofilos, K. Adam editions, Athens 2007, p. 116 (illustrated).
P. Zoitopoulos, Theofilos, the Ingenious Looney, Armos editions, Athens 2008, p. 44 (listed), p. 58 (discussed), fig. 15 (illustrated).
M.G. Moschou, Theofilos Hadjimichael Self-Biographed, doctoral dissertation, University of Athens, Athens 2005, Annex, vol. I, p. 12 (listed), fig. I-65 (illustrated).
A. Hadjiyannaki, Theofilos, K. Adam editions, Athens 2007, p. 67 (illustrated).
E. Nikolaidou, Z. Papageorgopoulou, Andreas P. Kambas, Patriarch of Mesogaia, and the Art of Wine, Eleftheroudakis editions, Athens 2012, pp. 96-97 (illustrated).
Vima newspaper, e-edition, February 19, 2012 (mentioned).
https://slideplayer.gr/slide/2399136 (illustrated).
https://paletaart3.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/ theofilos-chatzimichail (illustrated).

In 1926-27, following a forty-year odyssey, Theofilos returned to his native island of Mytilene, where he enjoyed a very creative and prolific period, during which he painted some of his best works.¹. As noted by G. Samourkas, "the artist's Mytilene period, which lasted eight years until his passing in 1934, was his most mature; his designs became more confident, his colours warmer, his compositions more structured, his backdrops more embellished and his colour combinations more elegant."²

As described in a lengthy inscription on the top³, this extraordinary picture shows a gathering of farmers in traditional fustanella kilts⁴ celebrating the arrival of the new vintage brandy. High-spirited men and women escort a horse-driven cart carrying a barrel with the precious eau de vie, while on top of it an old man posing as God Dionysus seems to preside over the bacchanalian revelry. All participants raise their glasses to the health of landowner and winemaker Andreas Kambas⁵ and his wife, who are shown on the upper left.

Filtered through the artist's rich imagination, imbued with a spirit of untutored simplicity and handled with compositional discipline, confident brushwork and vibrant colour, the whole scene is transformed into the enthusiasm sparked in him by the joyous event. Every part of the picture, from the charming group of women in the extreme foreground to the stately winemaking facility in the distance, is an integral part of the whole, evoking a sense of home and domesticity. Everything seems to grow right out of the landscape, allowing the painter to express an overall feeling based on pure vision and emanating from life itself.

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 man 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. Only Bonnard and Theofilos were able to convey this feeling."<sup>6

1</sup> N. Matsas, The Tale of Theofilos [in Greek], Estia publ., Athens 1978, p. 153.
² G. Samourkas, Twelve Folk Painters [in Greek], Athens 1974, p. 90.
³ Although the inclusion of written text reflects the artist's desire to provide a full description and leave nothing obscure, his fascination with the subject outrivals his insistence on topographical accuracy. (The celebration takes place in Kantza, rather than in Piraeus). See E. Nikolaidou, Z. Papageorgopoulou, Andreas P. Kambas, Patriarch of Mesogaia, and the Art of Wine, Eleftheroudakis editions, Athens 2012, p. 96.
⁴ The same highland garb the painter himself wore when he left Smyrna for Athens to voluntarily enlist in the 1897 campaign against Turkey and which eventually became his signature attribute.
5 The legendary "patriarch" of Greek viniculture, Andreas Kambas was the first to introduce the French distillation knowhow to Greece by bringing over advanced distillation equipment from Bordeaux in 1880.
⁶ O. Kanellis, "The Painter Theofilos" [in Greek], Tachydromos magazine, no. 379, 15.7.1961.


*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 during the Athens Preview, 4^th-7^th of November 2020. This work will be located in Athens during the auction.*