Funerary Composition I 1962

Editor: Yiannis Moralis' "Funerary Composition I," an oil painting from 1962, presents this muted, almost somber scene. I’m immediately drawn to the texture of the paint and the very visible brushstrokes. It makes me wonder, what kind of process was Moralis employing here? Curator: The layering of oil paint and the deliberate visibility of the brushwork speak volumes about Moralis' engagement with the materiality of artmaking. Rather than disguising the labor, he foregrounds it. Consider the context: 1960s Greece was navigating a period of immense social and political change. Does this layering suggest a society grappling with its own complex past and present, building up narratives layer by layer? Editor: That’s fascinating. So you’re saying the painting’s physicality mirrors the societal reconstruction happening at the time? And does the 'funerary' title itself speak to the laborious nature of burying the past and, potentially, the re-emergence of old values? Curator: Precisely! And think about the use of oil paint itself - a medium historically associated with wealth and the preservation of images. Here, it’s almost democratized, used in a way that reveals its inherent qualities and the artist’s hand. Is he perhaps commenting on the changing relationship between artistic production and consumption? Editor: It’s almost like he’s breaking down the traditional 'high art' mystique by showing us how it's made, right? I hadn't thought about it that way at all. The fact that you can see the process… changes everything. Curator: Exactly! By making the process visible, Moralis invites us to consider the social conditions of artmaking itself, rather than just the finished product. What does the artist leave on the canvas as material residue, what gets obscured in favor of a “smooth” ideal? Editor: I’m definitely going to pay more attention to the materials and the process artists use from now on! It adds another layer to understanding the work and its historical context.