This lot is subject to Artist's Resale right
Michael KASHALOS
Grigorios Afxentiou
authenticated on the reverse by the son of the artist, Kyriakos Kashalos
45 x 31 cm
49 x 36 cm (with frame)
Provenance
private collection, Cyprus
Estimate
€ 4 500 - 7 000
Notes
Around 1957 Kkashalos devoted himself almost exclusively to painting. He concentrated on depicting scenery from everyday life. His primary desire being to create a language, form and colours guided by his personal instinct.
No academic drawing, no scales or perspective, he drew in accordance with the importance attached to the subjectmatter in the given painting. Innate primitiveness void of doubts and hesitations, clean colours reflect the Cypriot World seen through the eyes of Kkashalos. The result is that his art, just like the art of a child, is absolutely genuine and spontaneous. He is regarded as the father of contemporary Cypriot Naive art.
The painter Adamantios Diamantis was among the first fascinated in the late 50s by the work of this naive painter.
His work can be seen in a number of public collections such as The State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art, The Cypriot Folk Art Museum, The Bank of Cyprus Cultural Centre etc.
Interior with woman kneading and the Grape harvest with donkey are early works by Kkashalos, thus important in the formulation of the language of later works of this great artist.
Kashalos at thirteen was taught the art of shoemaking by his father and practised this profession until 1940. Consequently he became involved in mirror decoration, glass painting, the production of decorative clay and plaster objects and the replication of ancient finds. These he sold at various festivals. He used mixed media on glass, to create this unique portrait of Grigorios Afxentiou who is part of that glorious time in Cypriot history.