Δρομάκι με εκκλησία

000962 Nikos Yialouris, Road with a church [Moundon Monastery], 2000, linoleum cut, 88.5 × 48 cm

This particular engraving reveals Yialouris's interest in small spaces, in humble subjects inspired by the traditional architecture of Chios. The composition is typical, one shared with other village views. The picture opens on the first level with an easily recognizable object (here a basket and a bundle of wood), at the beginning of a cobbled street. The path guides the viewer's gaze through houses and fallen walls, through low vegetation and leafless trees, into the distance, where a stone archway can be seen and the impressive, tile-roofed dome of an old church rises. This is a characteristic corner of the building complex of the Moundon Monastery. The monastery, the most important on the island after Nea Moni, is located near the village of Dievcha, in northwestern Chios. It is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Stylistically, the work impresses the viewer with the harmonious dialogue of white and black areas, the highlighting of picturesque details such as the basket, the wooden balcony, the stone arch. Above all, the print impresses with the way Yialouris uses cubism without destroying the image of the medieval monastery complex.