Sightseeing tour 

Periklis Vyzantios made this painting, Sightseeing Tour, using oil paint on canvas. The artist uses a very loose and expressive style, and there's a real sense of capturing a fleeting moment. The thickness of the oil paint creates a textured surface, and you can see the direction of the brushstrokes, almost as if they're little marks of energy. The forms are built up with layers of color. Look at the figures; their clothes are defined with a range of colors that bring vibrancy and depth. The artist doesn’t blend the colors smoothly, allowing each brushstroke to retain its individuality. This way of working gives the painting a sense of spontaneity. Vyzantios was active at a time when the art world was opening up to new ways of representing reality. Here, the artist wasn’t simply trying to depict a scene, but was also expressing their individual experience of it. The artist’s approach, the materials and processes of painting itself, are essential to understanding this work.