Figures 

Curator: Well, here we have "Figures," a painting by Dimitris Mytaras. We don't have an exact date for it, but it definitely carries an Expressionist and Neo-Expressionist spirit. Editor: It hits you immediately, doesn't it? That angularity and bold palette – red, yellow, green all clashing against each other! It feels unsettling, intentionally jarring. Curator: Mytaras often explored themes of social alienation and political turbulence through his work, particularly during and after the Greek military junta. I wonder if these figures represent the anxieties and uncertainties of that period. The ambiguous background feels like a distorted mirror, reflecting a fractured society. Editor: Perhaps, but consider how he renders the figures themselves. Notice the flatness, the way the lines don't quite resolve into recognizable forms. It's like he’s deconstructing the very idea of portraiture. Are these real people or just symbols? Curator: His involvement in the anti-dictatorial movement through his art would give reason to see his human subjects as representative, though. Editor: And how! They seem to barely exist! All blocks and outlines of colour more than flesh and bone. And observe how he employs color – the acidic yellow contrasting so sharply with the crimson. Is it about emotional states? Curator: I find your insights illuminating. It seems Mytaras is actively rejecting the traditions of realistic representation. He is embracing abstraction to convey a more profound psychological state. The incomplete forms may mirror how citizens under authoritarian rule become diminished as individuals. Editor: Perhaps, perhaps. What a clever use of figuration to depict a nation and its trauma. Curator: It offers a powerful visual commentary on an important era in modern Greek history and of psychological distress. Editor: Ultimately, the painting reveals itself as an enduring, fascinating, expressionist dance in colors.