Sketching the Revolution

Item

Title

Date

2021

Date Issued

2021

Abstract

The National Technical University of Athens undertook a very characteristic and interesting initiative: To address, in collaboration with the Athens School of Fine Arts, students of the school, asking them to capture on paper representations of moments of the struggle as they imagine them. Students Nikos Giabanis and Eleni Karakou responded with enthusiasm to the proposal and, through their black and white plans, the most interesting path in the Greek Revolution begins. The two young people use a classic-traditional medium such as design, in a very modern way, to produce works that uniquely depict the intensity of the battle, the agony of the chase, the sadness of separation and the bittersweet calm of the break. The protagonists in their works are not eponymous warlords, politicians and leaders. They are ordinary warriors, who carried the titanic struggle on their backs. As art critic and exhibition curator Efi Michalarou notes: “The different writings refer to the male and female gaze and contain great interest.” The authentic paintings of the students adorn the interiors of the administrative building of the National Technical University of Athens in Zografou.

(Edited and translated description from skai.gr website)