Head of Athena 1924

Konstantinos Parthenis made this 'Head of Athena' at an unknown date with pencil and watercolour. Look at the soft ochre tones, they’re so gentle, like a memory. I wonder what Parthenis was thinking about when he made this. Was he trying to conjure up a vision of Athena that felt both ancient and modern? The lines are so delicate, almost hesitant, as if he’s trying to capture a fleeting thought. It reminds me of those early modernist painters who were trying to distill form to its essence. See how the paint is thin and translucent, allowing the paper to breathe through. It’s like he’s whispering secrets rather than shouting them. That little hand on Athena’s helmet is a surprising touch. It’s almost playful, adding a human element to the divine figure. Parthenis’ work often had this dreamlike quality, bridging the classical with the contemporary. He’s part of a lineage, always in conversation with the past, reinterpreting it for his time. Painting, after all, is just this ongoing dialogue, artists building on what came before, each adding their own voice to the mix.