Άγγελοι

001199 Nikos Yialouris, Angels, n.d., mixed media on cardboard, 69.5 × 58.5 cm

The composition is structured around two figures. On the left stands an upright, victorious Angel. He wears white vestments and a square helmet while holding a red shield. In front of him lies a dead figure in similar attire, but wingless. The standing and the recumbent figure form the two main axes of the image—both compositionally (vertical-horizontal) and symbolically (victory/life–defeat/death). The background is painted in black, and the moon (in the lower right corner) indicates that the scene takes place at night—a night symbolic than realistic. The allegorical iconography of Yialouris’s late paintings remains unclear, and the artist himself did not seek to clarify it. It is certain that the painter draws inspiration from metaphysical painting—especially Giorgio de Chirico’s mannequin figure—and also from Expressionism. The drawing is coarse, the warriors distorted, while colour plays a complementary role, highlighting the gleaming weapons, the blood, and the darkness.