Music 1920

Curator: Well, doesn't this just feel like a dream bathed in soft pastels? It’s almost weightless. Editor: You’ve got an eye for atmosphere! We’re looking at Konstantinos Parthenis' "Music," a watercolor from 1920, painted during his Neo-Impressionist phase. Curator: "Music" is a fitting title, actually. The figures, almost ethereal, appear to be dancing to a rhythm only they can hear. And those elongated cypress trees – they're like silent conductors, guiding the eye upwards. Editor: Parthenis, steeped in the Symbolist movement, aimed to convey spiritual harmony and elevate art beyond mere representation. Examining this through the lens of feminist art history, we can consider how the depiction of these female figures relates to concepts of feminine ideals prevalent during that time. Are they active agents within the landscape, or romanticized ideals? Curator: Good point! I feel like it could go both ways. They seem so immersed in their own world. The landscape feels very…Mediterranean. I want to say Greek. I see rolling hills. It is as if their movements shape the very landscape itself. Editor: Parthenis, a Greek painter, integrated light, color, and form, endeavoring to capture the essence of Greek spirituality and natural beauty. Think of it in conversation with Duncan Grant and other post-impressionists who embraced light to move away from strictly naturalistic portrayals. This interest makes it an investigation of both place and identity. What relationship does the national have with myth? Curator: Exactly! And isn’t it intriguing how the artist uses watercolor to evoke such a sense of timelessness? It has a lightness of touch but the themes are anything but, and as viewers it leaves you contemplating identity and national mythologies that’s more pressing today than maybe it ever was! Editor: Definitely a piece to ponder, urging us to look at not only what’s on the surface but beneath too! Curator: Art for art’s sake but with its political and social conscience bubbling gently beneath it? Lovely.