The flourishing period, 1938-1965 

The studio




The studio in Bloomfield Road




Composed houses




Greengrocer's shop "Apollon"

1938-1939
The phase of the definitive formation of Hatzikyriakos-Ghikas painting idiom, namely the painting identity which will distinguish him forever. Within his 32 years of life, he already masters his medium and has acquired the essential insight to give new orientation to Greek Painting, being rejective of "academism" and synchronized with the international fine arts mainstream. The few pieces of this period -most of them made in Hydra- are characterized by synthetic balance, chromatic harmony and intense painting rhythm.
Representative works: "Objects in Shade", 1938 and "Appolo Greengrocer's Shop", 1939 (National Gallery), "Large Landscape of Hydra", 1938 (H. Potamianos), "The mulberry", 1939 (L. Vardinogiani), "Spring in Hydra", 1939 (N. Petsalis-Diomidis), "Hydra", 1939 (P. Mihelis).


1940-1945
Exercise in more realistic representations of internal spaces, still lives and portraits. His election as professor in the Athens Technical University and the war, restrict his time and his materials.
Representative pieces: "Self Portrait", 1942 (Benaki Museum).


1946-1954
The phase of the great flourishing. The pieces of this second determinative period of 1938-39 acquire an almost sensational but smooth maturity, parallel with sharpness and rationalization compared to those of the previous period. In this phase -which must be considered as the climax of his painting work- belong the works with his usual themes:
a) roofs and houses of Paris, 
b) balconies and iron stairs of the old city of Athens, 
c) sunflowers and trellises in gardens of Crete, 
Representative works: "Assault", 1946 and "Black Sunflower", 1947 (Norton, London), "Houses in Hydra" 1947 (Fenton, New York), "Spring and Moon" 1948 (P. Kiriakopoulos), "Sky and Earth", 1948 (lost, Cyprus), "Great Composition of Hydra", 1950 (N. Petsalis-Diomidis), "Almond Tree", 1950 (M. Athanasoglou), "Roofs of Paris and White Sunflower", 1952 (Chr. Zervos, Paris), "Parisian Roofs", 1952 (National Gallery), "Red Window", 1952 (B. Goulandris), "Grey Composition", 1952 (Tate Gallery, London), "Crete Landscape", 1953 and "Balcony with Ironwork", 1954 (Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris), "Sunflower and Trellis", 1953 (J. Rothschild, London), "Balcony with Ironwork and Outspread Cloths I-IV", 1954 (I. Karras, B. Goulandris, G. Livanos), "Iron Stairs I-IV", 1954 (A. Horemis, A. Iolas, K. Lemos and Benakis Museum).


1955-1958
The "abstractive" phase of Hydra. The subject now is restricted on land and yards with hinged stones, scenes that often "twirl", approaching abstraction.
Representative works: "Geometrical Shapes", 1956 (Ammohostos Museum), "Erratical Moon", 1957 (Bortall, London), "The Lady of Night", 1957 (Senior, New York), "Twirled Landscape", 1957 (National Gallery), "Stream", 1958 (Zervos, Paris).


1959-1960
Three new elements are added in N. Hatzikyriakos-Ghikas work:
a) symbolism,
b) the "painter's studio" theme and c) the vegetive world, a thematic element that dominates until the end of his life, either as an autonomous theme or as the synthetic basis of greater compositions.
Representative works: "Night Ritual", 1959 (N. Petsalis-Diomidis), "Evening Reminiscence", 1959 (National Gallery), "Dark Noon", 1959 (Barclay, London), "Atelier", 1960 (National Gallery), "Atelier in Sunset", 1960 (E. Voridis). 


1961-1965
The phase that his usual themes -in parallel with plants, leaves and trees- turns to metaphysical and imaginary cities. Roads and buildings "sting" his compositions evocative of their mysterious abandonment. The climax of this phase is a set of works with intensive geometry, inspired from Santorini.
Representative pieces: "Trees and Shafts", 1962 (Daniels, Cambridge), "Sheens", 1962 (Tasca, New York), "Ritual Landscape", 1962 (National Galery), "Breaking waves", 1964, "Calligraphy of a City", and "On the Top of Rocks", 1965 (N. Petsalis-Diomidis), "Windswept Foreland", 1965 (National Gallery), "Sea into the Studio", 1965 (Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Paris).