Vangelis

Vangelis Roses, gardenias, tulips, poppies, zinnias, daisies and anemones have given us a living, but we never really looked closely at what gave them life. By focusing on their purpose – to captivate, to create – Vangelis elevates the flower from decoration to a lesson of life. Born in 1953 in Greece, on the island of Krete, he was the first son into a family consisting of about four siblings, 40 cousins and a multitude of aunts and uncles. Since his first encounter with oil colors at a very early age, his fascinating journey through art could fill many novels. Vangelis Andriotakis is an artist whose work follows a great tradition, the tradition of vision and classic excellence associated with the artists of his native island of Krete. From the masterpieces of the Minoan civilization to the paintings of El Greco, to the writings of Kazantzakis, this beautiful Mediterranean island has been the birthplace for some of the world’s most respected artists. Like all classics, Vangelis is reviewed by the judgment of following periods. But unlike some of the greats of earlier eras, it has been impossible to pass easy verdicts on him, because of the sheer exceptional diversity of his work. The mere scope of his output makes it next to impossible to engage with it all, and his numerous amounts of work has not all begun to be catalogued =, described, analyzed, or indeed even made accessible, in every case, to critical scrutiny or to the public eye. Whatever we say about Vangelis must remain provisional for the time being. We present a concentrated overview in chronological order of the most major categories from his early years to the mature works of today: • Greece – God’s love affair with planet Earth • Women – Timeless beauty and classic ideal • Dreams and Inner Consciousness • Natural Exposure Vangelis resides and works in the United States since 1972, where he met his wife and muse Ionna. His paintings are part of many national and international collections. Since 1995, he has been creating what is destined to become the most prolific collection of oil paintings of flowers the art world has ever seen: Natural Exposure. This dazzling collection, masterfully brilliant with color, besides expressing intangible emotional concepts or ever-greater displays of spiritual and symbolic significance, is a dramatic testament to the almost surreal beauty of flowers. Commonplace objects such as flowers are unfolded in heroic terms, oversized and isolated in the painting and explored for their design and structure, not as strictly botanical specimens. “In the beginning I was trying to convey energy and composition – to cast a different light on flowers [and] bring to the viewer a new angle of vision, to charm and surprise…” says Vangelis of his work, “but from the very first studies I realized,” he continues “that beauty in flowers is strictly pragmatic.” Blossom traits – from form, to scant, to color – are purely practical in nature, designed to attract attention and ensure survival. We have been living and working with flowers for a lifetime, but we never truly “looked” at the seductive, powerful creatures until Vangelis revealed their most intimate crevices through his paintings. We are seduced by the flowers’ exquisite beauty, intoxicated by the depth of color and tingled by the tactile sensuality of the flower’s inner self. After all, we have borrowed the enticing power of the flower for our own seductions. Long before diamond rings or candlelight dinners, humans used the scent and beauty of flowers to woo true loves to courtship, marriage and ultimately, reproduction. Perhaps the intelligence of flowers has been as underestimated as that of a beautiful woman. 600 Fifth Avenue South, Naples, Fl 34102 914 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954-524-2100 239-435-4515 www.newriverfineart.com Vangelis Roses, gardenias, tulips, poppies, zinnias, daisies and anemones have given us a living, but we never really looked closely at what gave them life. By focusing on their purpose to captivate, to create Vangelis elevates the flower from decoration to a lesson of life. Born in 1953 in Greece, on the island of Krete, he was the first son into a family consisting of about four siblings, 40 cousins and a multitude of aunts and uncles. Since his first encounter with oil colors at a very early age, his fascinating journey through art could fill many novels. Vangelis Andriotakis is an artist whose work follows a great tradition, the tradition of vision and classic excellence associated with the artists of his native island of Krete. From the masterpieces of the Minoan civilization to the paintings of El Greco, to the writings of Kazantzakis, this beautiful Mediterranean island has been the birthplace for some of the world’s most respected artists. Like all classics, Vangelis is reviewed by the judgment of following periods. But unlike some of the greats of earlier eras, it has been impossible to pass easy verdicts on him, because of the sheer exceptional diversity of his work. The mere scope of his output makes it next to impossible to engage with it all, and his numerous amounts of work has not all begun to be catalogued =, described, analyzed, or indeed even made accessible, in every case, to critical scrutiny or to the public eye. Whatever we say about Vangelis must remain provisional for the time being. We present a concentrated overview in chronological order of the most major categories from his early years to the mature works of today: • Greece – God’s love affair with planet Earth • Women – Timeless beauty and classic ideal • Dreams and Inner Consciousness • Natural Exposure Vangelis resides and works in the United States since 1972, where he met his wife and muse Ionna. His paintings are part of many national and international collections. Since 1995, he has been creating what is destined to become the most prolific collection of oil paintings of flowers the art world has ever seen: Natural Exposure. This dazzling collection, masterfully brilliant with color, besides expressing intangible emotional concepts or ever-greater displays of spiritual and symbolic significance, is a dramatic testament to the almost surreal beauty of flowers. Commonplace objects such as flowers are unfolded in heroic terms, oversized and isolated in the painting and explored for their design and structure, not as strictly botanical specimens. “In the beginning I was trying to convey energy and composition – to cast a different light on flowers [and] bring to the viewer a new angle of vision, to charm and surprise…” says Vangelis of his work, “but from the very first studies I realized,” he continues “that beauty in flowers is strictly pragmatic.” Blossom traits from form, to scant, to color are purely practical in nature, designed to attract attention and ensure survival. We have been living and working with flowers for a lifetime, but we never truly “looked” at the seductive, powerful creatures until Vangelis revealed their most intimate crevices through his paintings. We are seduced by the flowers’ exquisite beauty, intoxicated by the depth of color and tingled by the tactile sensuality of the flower’s inner self. After all, we have borrowed the enticing power of the flower for our own seductions. Long before diamond rings or candlelight dinners, humans used the scent and beauty of flowers to woo true loves to courtship, marriage and ultimately, reproduction. Perhaps the intelligence of flowers has been as underestimated as that of a beautiful woman. For more information, please contact New River Fine Art 914 East Las Olas Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 954-524-2100 www.newriverfineart.com