Portrait of P. Papathanasiou 

Konstantinos Parthenis painted this portrait of P. Papathanasiou in oil on canvas. Notice how the canvas texture remains visible through the thinly applied paint. Parthenis wasn’t trying to fool us into thinking we’re seeing real flesh and fabric. Instead, the paint appears as a veil, or perhaps a memory trace, that allows us to glimpse the sitter. He is shown in profile, with a limited palette of white and grey hues that gives the artwork an ethereal quality. The work is softly rendered and lacks strong outlines. The artist focused on capturing the inner essence of the subject. Historically, portraiture was most often a commission. We might ask, then, what was the precise relationship between artist and sitter? The thin paint application suggests efficiency, as though the job was to be done quickly. But given the high degree of finish, it may simply be that Parthenis was trying to find a way to present a man of substance with a light touch.