Figures 

Editor: Dimitris Mytaras’ oil painting "Figures" really strikes me. It has such an emotionally raw feeling. With these abstract shapes that only vaguely resemble people, what are we really looking at? What do you see in this piece? Curator: This piece immediately calls to mind archaic sculpture, like a painted Kouros perhaps. See how Mytaras utilizes those long vertical lines in the background. He presents these figures, almost like idols, emerging from cultural memory. It begs the question: how do past visions continue to inform our perception of the human form? Notice also how the figure looks upwards. Do you see any aspiration here? Editor: Yes, there's almost a religious quality to that gaze. It is spiritual in a way that seems both reverent and, paradoxically, human, in its flaws. Curator: Precisely! Think about how iconography blends the human and the divine. Here, the romantic colour palette infuses something ancient with modern sensibilities. That tension creates a space for reflection. Do you think this painting allows for diverse interpretations, anchored by shared cultural motifs? Editor: I do. Even without a definitive context, these shapes, this *figuration*, feels like an accessible way to consider our history through imagery. Curator: It is as if he's suggesting that figuration itself is a form of cultural coding. That’s really important. It becomes about decoding how humans relate to other humans in a specific period or place. Editor: Absolutely, the painting transcends just a physical likeness, morphing into something that holds cultural meaning across time. I didn’t appreciate it on my first look. Thank you.