Ήρωες

001034 Nikos Yialouris, Heroes, 1991, mixed media on paper, 100 × 35 cm

In the early 1990s, Heroes and Angels dominated Yialouris’s painting. These mutilated, tragic figures were drawn with ink and reed pen on white paper and coloured with vivid reds, blues, and golds, lending the compositions a “pop” quality—one that, however, clashes with their deeply dramatic spirit. The source of these themes is unclear; they may trace back to the years of the Greek junta (1967-1974) and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus (1974). In any case, they became the most significant body of work from Yialouris’s mature period. In this particular drawing, two mutilated, nude male bodies are depicted. One carries the other on his shoulders, yet both are missing arms and legs. Just a few strokes of colour bring the image to life: red paints the wounds; blue and gold are used for the tattered garments they wear and the bands and wreaths that adorn their heads. In antiquity, fabric bands and laurel wreaths were worn by victors of athletic contests. These figures, however, do not resemble victors—they personify defeat, radiating an overall tragic tone. The heroic narrative had long preoccupied Yialouris: for example, in the series of compositions featuring empty chairs and crutches, he recalled his memories of the disabled veterans of the Second World War and the Greek Civil War (1945-1949).