Street market 1982

Panayiotis Tetsis made this painting of a Street Market with what looks like confident, juicy strokes of oil paint. It’s all about the process, the decisions made on the go, and the sheer joy of putting color next to color. Looking closely, the umbrellas and raincoats become these delicious blocks of saturated hues, standing out against the muted ground. Notice the heavy outlines around each figure. They’re not just describing the forms, but also acting as independent lines, creating this energized rhythm across the canvas. It’s like Tetsis is improvising, letting the paint lead the way. The paint is applied thickly, with visible brushstrokes that capture the energy of the bustling market. Each mark feels deliberate, almost sculptural. This reminds me a bit of Bonnard, with his love of color and everyday scenes, or maybe even de Kooning, in the way that the figures kind of emerge and dissolve into their surroundings. In the end, this painting isn’t about capturing a perfect likeness, it’s about capturing a feeling, a moment, and the pure pleasure of seeing.