Dimitris Tzamouranis: Melancholia

The figures in the visual world of Greek artist Dimitris Tzamouranis (*1967 in Kalamata) stem from his immediate surroundings. Clothing, make-up, and the style of their hair characterize them as modern people from the twenty-first century. Yet in many of his paintings the artist captures these figures in groups that evoke historical, mythological, or religious themes already familiar to the viewer. Soika and Eva, for instance, are in the pose of a pieta, while Dancers recalls Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The large-format painting The Night is reminiscent of Ferdinand Hodler’s painting of the same name. Tzamouranis uses art history as a field of inspiration. He also employs familiar imagery to achieve a sense of recognition in the viewer, making deliberate use of this effect, playing with associations and developing them into his world of images. Exhibition schedule: Galerie Miro, Prague, November 7-Early December 2012 | Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, Osnabruck, December 16, 2012-Late February 2013 | Museum Frissiras, Athens, September 30, 2013-Early December 2013