Τοπίο με εκκλησάκι

000205 Nikos Yialouris, Landscape with Chapel, n.d., mixed media on carboard επικολλημένο on plywood, 107 × 75 cm

Around 1970, rocky landscapes came to dominate Yialouris's paintings: steep cliffs, wild and arid terrains with a few sparse trees. The works in this group are rendered in a harsh pictorial language—reflective of their subject matter—rooted in Expressionism and, to a lesser extent, Cubism. The painting Landscape with Chapel belongs to this category. A large, solid rock occupies the pictorial surface. From within it, lentisk bushes and other small trees emerge, while a tiny chapel is visible at its peak. Drawing—here the artist’s primary expressive method—is anti-naturalistic. The rocky mass is depicted with sharp outlines and angular forms, resembling a crystal. The trees, equally unnatural, break the rigidity of the composition with their strange, twisted branches. Colours have a secondary role: warm pastel tones dominate, interrupted by the subtle presence of tiny blue areas.