Παπαρούνες

004744 Nikos Yialouris, Popies, 1981, monotype, 25 × 35 cm

Over the course of his long artistic career, the painter, decorator, and printmaker Yialouris experimented with a variety of techniques. In this still life—dominated by the red-black poppy flower—he works with the monotype method. Monotype is a form of printmaking that yields a single print, in contrast to woodcut, engraving, or lithography. For monotypes, printmakers use a hard surface and paint with inks, acrylics, or tempera. They then transfer the composition to paper in reverse. Yialouris's work takes advantage of the white of the paper, elevating it to an equal and organic part of the whole composition. With fast gestures, broad brushstrokes, and a purely expressionistic sensibility, the artist explores a far freer way of working compared to the methods that have consistently characterized his oeuvre. The expressionistic, abstract drawing and the rapid yet assured execution testify to his ability to move confidently among different modes of expression.