Theophilos Chatzimichail ( el, Θεόφιλος Χατζημιχαήλ or Θεόφιλος Κεφαλάς; born c. 1870, Vareia, near Mytilene, island of Lesbos; died in Vareia, Greece, 24 March 1934), known simply as Theophilos, was a Greek folk painter and major contributor in

modern Greek art Modern Greek art is art from the period between the emergence of the new independent Greek state and the 20th century. As Mainland Greece was under Ottoman rule for all four centuries, it was not a part of the Renaissance and artistic movements th ...

. The main subject of his works are Greek characters and the illustration of Greek traditional folklife and history.

Life and work

The exact birthdate of Theophilos is unknown. However, it is believed that he was born between 1867 and 1870 in Vareia (Βαρειά), a village outside of Mytilene (then part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

). His father, Gabriel Kefalas (Γαβριήλ Κεφαλάς), was a shoemaker, while his mother Pinelopi Hatzimihail was a daughter of an iconographer. When he was very young he was mediocre at school, but he had a special interest in

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

, having learned the basics from his grandfather. His life was very hard, partially because people made fun of him since he often wore the traditional Greek kilt, the fustanella, in public. At the age of 18 he abandoned his home and family and worked as a gate-keeper (καβάσης, ''kavasis'') at the Greek consulate in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

. He stayed in Smyrna for a few years before he settled in the city of Volos in about 1897, searching for occasional work and painting in houses and shops of the area. Many of his murals exist today. Most of his years he spent in Ano Volos. His protector during that period was the landholder Giannis Kontos, for whom he did many works. Today the house of Kontos is the Theophilos Museum. As well as painting, he was also involved in organizing popular theatrical acts for national ceremonies, and in the carnival period he had a major role, sometimes dressing as

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

, with pupils in Macedonian phalanx formation, and sometimes as a hero of the Greek Revolution, with gear and costumes made by himself. In 1927 he returned to Mytilene. Legend states that he left Volos because of an incident in a ''kafeneio'' ( coffee shop) where someone played a joke on him in front of others and threw him down from a ladder where he was painting. In Mytilene, despite the mockery of the people, he continued to draw, painting many murals in villages for little payment, usually for a plate of food and a cup of wine.In the novella

Vasilis Arvanitis ''Vasilis Arvanitis'' ( el, Ο Βασίλης ο Αρβανίτης) is a novella by the Greek writer Stratis Myrivilis set on the island of Lesbos (Mytilene) in the 1910s. Setting The novella is set in Myrivilis' home village of Sykamnia on t ...

Stratis Myrivilis Efstratios Stamatopoulos (30 June 1890 – 19 July 1969) was a Greek writer. He is known for writing novels, novellas, and short stories under the pseudonym Stratis Myrivilis . He is associated with the "Generation of the '30s". He was nominated ...

describes a coffee house near the Karini spring in Lesbos as famous because “its walls, inside and out, are covered with pictures and designs by the painter Theophilos.” Of Theophilos himself he writes: “He was a strange man and people thought him half crazy.” (Stratis Myrivilis, ''Vasilis Arvanitis'', translated into English by Pavlos Andronikos rmidale: University of New England Publishing Unit, 1983 pp. 51-2.) Many of his works of this period have been lost, either due to natural aging or from damage by the owners. In Mytilene, the renowned art critic and publisher Stratis Eletheriadis ( Tériade), who lived in Paris, discovered Theophilos and brought him a great deal of recognition and also international publicity, though posthumous. Theophilos died in March 1934, on the eve of the Annunciation, perhaps from food poisoning. In 1961, his works were exhibited in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

as a sample of a genuine folk painter of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. In 1965, Tériade donated 86 painted works on textile to the Municipality of Lesvos, along with a building that became the Theophilos Museum in Vareia, Lesbos.

Gallery

File:Erotokritos and Arethousa.jpg, ''Erotokritos and Arethousa'' File:Theofilos Athena and Artemis.jpg, ''Athena and Artemis'' File:Theofilos Eudoxia.jpg, ''Symposium of Empress Eudoxia'' File:Theofilos Palaiologos.jpg, ''Constantine Palaiologos'' File:Theophilos Chatzimichail - Alexander the Great, about 1900 - Athens, National Historical Museum.jpg, Alexander the Great File:Theofilos Thiseas.jpg, Theseus

References

Sources

Yannis Tsarouchis Yannis Tsarouchis ( el, Γιάννης Τσαρούχης; 13 January 1910 – 20 July 1989) was a Greek modernist painter and set designer who achieved international fame, and was "known in particular for his homoerotic subjects," including sold ...

, ''Theophilos'' (Athens: The Commercial Bank of Greece, 1966). *

Odysseas Elytis Odysseas Elytis ( el, Οδυσσέας Ελύτης , pen name of Odysseas Alepoudellis, el, Οδυσσέας Αλεπουδέλλης; 2 November 1911 – 18 March 1996) was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as th ...

, ''The Painter Theophilos'', pub. Ypsilon, Athens 1996. . * Kitsos Makris, ''The Painter Theophilos at Pilios'', 3rd εdition, εκδ. Δημοτικού Κέντρου Ιστορικών Ερευνών, Αρχείων και Εκθεμάτων Βόλου, Volos 1998. . *Ε. Παπαζαχαρίου, ''Ο άλλος Θεόφιλος'', εκδ. Κάκτος, Αθήνα 1997. *Ντ. Παπασπύρου, ''Θεόφιλος Γ.Χ. Μιχαήλ'', εκδ. Ιανός, Θεσσαλονίκη 1998. .

External links

Theophilos Museum - House of Giannis Kontos (Volos)

Biography and works
* ttp://ta-nea.dolnet.gr/print_article.php?entypo=A&f=16632&m=N38&aa=1 Article in news paper ''Ta Nea'', 3 January 2000br>Odysseas Elytis on Theophilos
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatzimihail, Theophilos 1870s births 1934 deaths People from Mytilene 20th-century Greek painters 19th-century Greek painters