Maleas Konstantinos

Graduate of the Megali tou Genous Scholi (Great School of the Hellenes) he studied architecture at the Polytechnic School of Constantinople. From 1901 to 1908 he lived in Paris, where he took painting lessons from the neo-impressionist Henri Martin and studied at the School of the Decorative Arts. At the same time his exhibition activity commenced. He returned to his homeland and travelled to the Middle East, painting intensively (1908-1910). In 1913 he moved with his family to Thessaloniki and the following year was appointed chief engineer to the municipality, a post he remained at till 1917, when he settled in Athens. During the Thessaloniki fire of 1917 many of his works were destroyed. In 1918 he became the Director of the Museum of Folk Handicrafts and was appointed a member of the Artistic Council of the National Gallery. In 1920 he travelled to Sparta, Mystras, Olympia and Naxos, and the next year to Thermo, Aitolia, accompanying the archaeologist Konstantinos Romaios. During the period of 1921-1923 he lived and worked in Chios and Lesbos and in 1923 received the Prize in Letters and Arts. A founding member of the Art Group, he participated in its exhibitions, while presenting his works in other group shows and a total of thirteen solo exhibitions. A year before his death at forty-nine years of age, he visited Paris and Munich. In 1936 his works were sent to the Venice Biennale. Retrospective presentations of his work were held in 1929 at the Zappeion Hall and in 1980 at the National Gallery. In addition to his artistic creation he was also active in educational reform and worked in cooperation with Dimitrios Glinos, Alexandros Delmouzos and Manolis Triantafyllidis.
A revitalizing influence in Greek painting, using impressionist and post-impressionist models as his starting point, he produced mainly landscapes, in which schematization and powerful, pure colors dominate and in that way build a composition made up of unities.