Μεγάλη Ύδρα

000519 Nikos Yialouris, Great Hydra, 1969, linoleum cut, 62 × 75 cm

Throughout his artistic career, Yialouris focused on visually capturing the landscape of Chios and Psara. However, he took an interest in other regions of Greece. One of his well-known series of works was inspired by Meteora. He also created beautiful prints of Hydra and Santorini. The particular linocut depicts a view of the port of Hydra. The island experienced great fame during the 1950s and 1960s, at the dawn of Greece’s tourism boom, becoming a magnet for foreign visitors, among them renowned writers, musicians, and visual artists. The composition unfolds horizontally. The main protagonist is the barren rock that occupies almost the entire engraved surface. Only in the foreground, a narrow strip with a few boats is devoted to the sea. What primarily concerns the printmaker is the dialogue between traditional architecture and the arid natural landscape. The small waterfront houses and the impressive mansions form one pole; the sparse trees and rocks form the other. On the left, one can see the mansion of Manolis Tombazis, a naval admiral descended from the Tombazis family, whose members stood out in the naval struggles of the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829). Since 1936, the building has functioned as an art station of the Athens School of Fine Arts and is one of the most iconic landmarks of Hydra’s coastal front.

Bibliography: Manolis Vlachos, Nikos Yialouris. Drawings and Prints, Athens, 2010, p. 208 – as Hydra