Ανάβατος Χιονισμένος

000880 Nikos Yialouris, Snow-capped Anavatos, 1968, linoleum cut, 52 × 70.5 cm

Anavatos, the famous medieval village of Chios that today has very few inhabitants, has been one of Yialouris's favourite subjects throughout time. He depicted the village in drawings, paintings, and engravings. Here, he chooses a rare moment: the old, stone village covered in snow. The composition develops along the longitudinal axis. It opens up on the first level with a cobbled street and houses on either side. The rocky mountain, the main body of the medieval settlement, rises on the right. The engraving is made in white and black. Yalouris uses this alternation brilliantly in order to highlight different elements of the landscape. The houses, the stone walls, the few, leafless trees, are sometimes white and sometimes black; geometric shapes without contours, in a peculiar game of contrasts. Drawing is the main tool of the engraver, who, without denying the reference to reality, works in an expressionist manner, adopting a strong cubist influence.

Bibliography: Manolis Vlachos, Nikos Yialouris. Drawings and Prints, Athens, 2010, ps 32, 180-181