1995: 100 years from the birth
of Fotis Kontoglou
(1895-1965)

In 1995, we celebrated 100 years from the birth of Fotis Kontoglou, the refugee from Asia Minor who is considered as the "father" of a whole generation of artists, known as the "thirties' generation". These artists were seeking the Greek Character in their art, through the return to our cultural roots.
After the defeat of Greece in the Asia Minor campaign in 1922, many Greeks of Asia Minor came to find refuge in Greece. Fotis Kontoglou was one of them. They were bringing along with them the acrimony of the defeat, the request for National self-respect, for the Greek character that is not bound by the obligatory -until then- aesthetic mediation of Western culture. Kontoglou, the hagiographer, the painter and the writer, has through his work preached the revival of Byzantine art and the bridging of Ancient and Modern Greece through the popular tradition and Christian Orthodox belief.

Kontoglou's atelier has been a landmark in the history of Hellenic art, as it derived from the Helleno-centric tradition. The same path was also followed by the great Greek architect Pikionis and ethnographer Angeliki Hatzimichali. Many of the greater Greek painters have been apprentices to Kontoglou's atelier, to learn the art of Byzantine hagiography, of the fresco, that until then had been overlooked by the secular artists. They were also taught a conception of Universe that Kontoglou had as a practicing Orthodox and thinker, a conception acquired during his long apprenticeship near his uncle who was a monk. Besides his paintings, of great interest are the decorations of many Orthodox churches, mostly in Athens: Kapnikarea Church, Saint Andreas in Patisia, Saint George in Kypseli and others. Also, the chapels of the Zaimis family in Rio, of the Pesmatzoglou family in Kifisia, of the Goulandris family in Ekali, and many others.

There are also some secular paintings with subjects from Greek Mythology and History. In this category belong some frescoes at the Municipality of Athens, as well as some murals of his house, now belonging to the National Gallery of Athens, that were created with the help of his disciples, Yannis Tsarouchis, Nicos Engonopoulos and others who later became eminent Greek painters.

NOTE: The photos on these web pages are from the publication "Greek Painters - 20th Century" ed. MELISSA, 1976.

The Refugees or
The Valley of Weeping

1995: 100 years from the birth of Fotis Kontoglou (1895-1965)

1995: 100 years from the birth
of Fotis Kontoglou
(1895-1965)