Γυναικεία Ορχήστρα

000054 Giouli Vrana, Female Orchestra, 2002, oil and gold leaf on canvas, 94 × 113 cm

Giouli Vrana's Female Orchestra fascinates the viewer with the theme and its style. In an idyllic interior (with a chessboard flooring, a bottle and a glass of wine on a table in the right corner, and plants all around), six naked women are depicted, several of whom play musical instruments: lyre, flute, lute and viola. The painter traces her models to Cubism, but also to painters such as the French Fernand Léger, and the Greeks Alekos Fassianos and Vassilis Sperantzas. In a highly decorative composition and a strong erotic mood, the simple drawing, the schematic rendering of bodies and objects, the bright, flat colours cultivate an overall playful atmosphere, a sense of hedonistic pleasure, of happiness. The theme of music has occupied artists throughout the ages, especially from the Renaissance onwards, sometimes associated with Paradise (in a religious context) and sometimes with ancient myths. Vrana consciously inscribes herself in this long tradition, yet chooses an earthy look, presenting a formalistic play of naked bodies and musical instruments.