Landscape 1917

Editor: Here we have Konstantinos Parthenis's "Landscape," painted in 1917 using oil paints. There's something dreamlike about it, with the hazy light and soft edges. The scene is calm, almost serene, yet there’s a hint of melancholy, don't you think? How would you interpret this work? Curator: Oh, melancholy, absolutely! I see Parthenis chasing not just light, like his Impressionist pals, but something more ethereal, almost…remembered. He’s not simply depicting what’s in front of him, but trying to evoke a feeling, a specific quality of light and air particular to Greece, maybe of a half-remembered childhood idyll? Do you feel that ghostly quality too? Editor: Yes, definitely ghostly. It is interesting you mention the remembered childhood idyll and Greece - the painting seems to use impressionism to paint light as a memory. It feels more filtered and less raw than other impressionist landscape works that I’ve seen, even though plein-air painting is mentioned. Curator: Filtered is perfect! Parthenis isn’t afraid to blend styles. There’s a touch of realism there in the form, battling with that dreamy light and form he is after, don’t you think? It's not photo-real, of course, it’s far too dreamy to achieve sharp realistic definition. It dances along this beautiful in-between that echoes Greece itself. I can smell the herbs in the hills, almost taste the salt of the sea. It becomes deeply personal through these formal relationships, right? Editor: Yes, I understand that relationship more now. Thanks for your personal reading of the landscape. I’ll remember to seek the deeply personal through such works! Curator: And I will remind myself that memory is the heart of many such works, beyond simply replicating something one observes with the eyes! Thanks!