Page 378 - Beholding Liberty!

378 BEHOLDING LIBERTY!
ΙΙ.9.11
Theofilos [Hatzimichail] (1873?-1934) Botsaris in front of the pasha stage
oil on canvas, 87.5 × 82.5 cm
Hellenic Parliament Art Collection, inv. n. 743
ΙΙ.9.12
Theofilos [Hatzimichail] (1873?-1934) Katsantonis at Tzoumerka
oil on cardboard, 92 × 65 cm
Hellenic Parliament Art Collection, inv. n. 601
THE AUTHENTIC NAIVE PAINTER THEOFILOS often depicted subjects from the Greek Revolution. With the innocence, purity and freshness of a folk sensibility, he painted many fig- ures and scenes of the Struggle, appropriating the themes and models of academic historical paint- ing known to him from printed reproductions, and translating them into his personal style.
Both Botsaris Before the Pasha’s Tent [cat. no II.9.11] and Katsantonis at Tzoumerka [cat. no II.9.12] are characteristic works of Theofilos’ personal revolu- tionary pantheon, as the artist had a deeply per- sonal affinity with its figures and events: He proud- ly wore the fustanella and presented himself as a direct descendant of the 1821 fighters.
In his depiction of Botsaris, Theofilos prominently places the hero in the centre, in a heroic pose; the group of figures around Botsaris serve to spotlight the protagonist. The extensive inscription at the top translates for the viewer into text the pictorial narrative of the “limited” picture plane.
Comparing Theofilos’ treatment of the main char- acter to that in academic paintings – for instance the depiction of the hero in the philhellenic artwork [cat. no II.3.3] – highlights the difference in the
aesthetic perception and presentation of the sub- ject, even in the respective inscriptions of the two works, between the academic (European) tradition and the (Greek) folk one.
In any case, Theofilos’ Botsaris, along with Theofi- los’ broader iconostasis of heroes of the Struggle, were readily perceived by the public which the art- ist catered for, and made its own unique contri- bution to the visual documentation of the Greek Revolution, approximately one century after the events.
In the fragmentary oil painting of Katsantonis in Tzoumerka – also the subject of a mural by Theo- filos in a coffee house in Makrinitsa, Pelion, dating from the early twentieth century – the artist de- picts his favourite hero during a moment of rest with his comrades, in the outdoors. Blessed with all the virtues of Theofilos’ art – narrativity, richness of colour, vivid expression – this painting is a cele- bration of the tradition of klephts and armatoloi in pre-revolutionary Greece. It documents the chief- tain Antonis Katsantonis (1775-1809) from Agrafa, an iconic klepht, contributing to the mythology of the young man who defies the Turkish yoke and would soon, in 1821, join the War of Independence.