Botequim 1973

Nikias Skapinakis painted Botequim with flat color and bold outlines. I can imagine him carefully applying each shape, building the composition like a puzzle. The orange background hums with the clashing reds and blues of the figures. They’re all caught in their own worlds, each lost in thought or staring blankly into space. The scene feels familiar, like a moment stolen from real life. I wonder what Skapinakis was thinking as he decided where to put each of those little cups on the table, each placed to suggest a specific detail about the scene. He’s working in the tradition of painters like Alex Katz or David Hockney, who found ways to portray modern life with cool detachment, capturing the quiet drama of everyday scenes. It’s like Skapinakis is asking us to slow down and notice the hidden beauty in the mundane.