Nikos Engonopoulos (October 21, 1907 – October 31, 1985) was a modern
GreekGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
and
poetPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. He is one of the most important members of the Greek Generation of the '30s as well as a major representative of the
surrealisticSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
movement in Greece. His work as a writer also includes critique and essays.
Nikos Engonopoulos was born to Arvanite parents in
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
in 1907 and was the second son of Panaghiotis and Errietti (Henrietta) Engonopoulos.
Nikos Engonopoulos (October 21, 1907 – October 31, 1985) was a modern
GreekGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
and
poetPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. He is one of the most important members of the Greek Generation of the '30s as well as a major representative of the
surrealisticSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
movement in Greece. His work as a writer also includes critique and essays.
Biography
Nikos Engonopoulos was born to Arvanite parents in
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
in 1907 and was the second son of Panaghiotis and Errietti (Henrietta) Engonopoulos. During the summer of 1914 when Nikos Engonopoulos family went on a trip to
ConstantinopleIstanbul is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province...
his family was obliged to settle there, due to the outbreak of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. In 1923, he was enrolled in a lycée in Paris, where he studied for a period of four years. After his return to
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
, he served as a private in the 1st Infantry Regiment. Later on he worked as a
translatorTranslation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language...
in a
bankA bank is a financial institution licensed by a government. Its primary activities include borrowing and lending money.Many other financial activities were allowed over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds...
and as a secretary at the University of Athens. In 1930 Engonopoulos was employed as a
designDesign is the planning that lays the basis for the making of every object or system. It can be used both as a noun and as a verb and, in a broader way, it means applied arts and engineering . As a verb, "to design" refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product,...
er in the Urban Planning Department of the Greek Ministry of Public Works.
In 1932 he joined the
Athens School of Fine ArtsThe Athens School of Fine Arts , is Greece's premier art school whose main objective is to develop the artistic talents of its students.-History:Athens School of Fine Arts was established on 12 January 1837, known as the School for the Arts...
, where he studied under the supervision of
Konstantinos ParthenisKonstantinos Parthenis was a distinguished Greek painter. Parthenis broke with the Greek academic tradition of the 19th century and introduced modern elements together with traditional themes, like the figure of Christ, in his art....
. He also attended classes at the art studio of
Photios KontoglouPhotis Kontoglou was a Greek writer, painter and iconographer.-Life :...
. During that time he met important artists, the poet
Andreas EmbirikosAndreas Embirikos was a Greek surrealist poet and the first Greek psychoanalyst.-Life:Embirikos came from a wealthy family as his father was an important ship-owner. He was born in Brăila, Romania, but his family soon moved to Ermoupolis in Syros. When Embirikos was only seven years old they...
and painters such as
Yannis TsarouchisYannis Tsarouchis was a Greek painter.Born in Piraeus, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts . He was also a student of Photis Kontoglou, who introduced him to Byzantine iconography, while he also studied popular architecture and dressing customs...
,
Giorgio de ChiricoGiorgio de Chirico was a pre-Surrealist and then Surrealist Greek-Italian painter born in Volos, Greece, to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the scuola metafisica art movement...
and Yannis Moralis.
His first paintings, mostly
temperaTempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the first centuries AD still...
s on paper depicting old houses, were presented at an
Art of Modern Greek Tradition exhibition, organised in January 1938. Soon after the exhibition, he published translations of poems by
Tristan TzaraTristan Tzara was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist...
, which were published in February. A few months later, his first collection of poems (
Do Not Distract the Driver) was published, followed by a second one (
The Clavicembalos of Silence) the next year. Overall he is considered one of the finest surrealist poets of Greece.
His first individual exhibition was held in 1939. Three years later, he finished his most popular long poem
Bolivar, a Greek Poem, inspired by the revolutionary leader
Simón BolívarSimón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader...
and published in 1944. The poem was also released in the form of a song, in 1968, with music composed by Nikos Mamangakis.
He died of a heart attack in 1985.
External links
See also
- Art in modern Greece
Modern Greek Art is the term used to describe Greek art during the period between the emergence of the new independent Greek state and the 20th century....
- National Gallery of Greece