VASILIS SPERANTZAS

VASILIS SPERANTZAS (1938 – ) was born in 1938 in Athens. He studied painting at the School of Fine Arts in Paris (1956-1962). After completing his studies he remained in the French capital from 1976 to 1988 where he taught lithography at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. In 1988 he returned to Greece, where he lives and works today.

In 1966 he presented his first solo exhibition at the gallery Astor in Athens, after that he presented his work with solo exhibitions in Greece as well as abroad. He has also participated in Parisian salons, as well as in group and international exhibitions of painting and engraving.

Sperantzas has established a completely personal artistic idiom. His work represents a world that combines elements that are taken from everyday life and are familiar with a surreal, dreamy and often erotic atmosphere where the female figure is dominant. Portrayed most of the time naked and often lying down, alone or with a man, is rendered without a realistic attitude, with bright colors, plasticity in volume and presented indoors with an urban character and elements of the past.

All forms and figures in his work are symbolic, as they share common characteristics not personal. Drawing elements from the Archaic, Byzantine and folk art, as well as from European art, the artist creates a personal mythology of chromatic richness, intensity in hues and clean contours. Besides painting he deals with printmaking and in particular lithography, creating compositions with a strong expressionistic character.