Πλοίο Άγ. Δημήτριος

001251 Nikos Yialouris, The Ship Ayios Dimitrios (Saint Demetrius), 1976, ink on paper, 72 × 91 cm

In 1975, Nikos Yialouris undertook the decoration of the “Porto Carras” hotel in Chalkidiki, as well as the villa of the shipowner Yannis H. Carras—one of his first and most important monumental projects. The design of the ship Agios Dimitrios (Saint Demetrius) includes an inscription in the bottom right corner: “Yialouris – PORTO CARRAS '76,” clearly linking it to that commission. Drawing from the long tradition of folk ship painters—a visual tradition widespread in Western art that gradually made its way into the Greek East—Yialouris here offers a “portrait” of a ship named “Agios Dimitrios”. It is a Barque, a large three-masted sailing merchant ship. Using only ink and relying on fine, clean lines and large black surfaces, the ship is depicted in a realistic manner but in a folk-inspired style. It travels with full sails over slightly choppy waters and is set within an elliptical decorative frame. Above the frame, a scroll unfurls with a folk song dedicated to migration. Below, a more naturalistic floral composition highlights the often eclectic sources of Yialouris's imagery.