Lembesis Polychronis

Despite the humble origins of his family, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts and was distinguished for his abilities. On a scholarship he continued his studies at the Munich Academy as a pupil of Ludwig von Lofftz and Wilhelm Lindenschmidt. In Munich, where he remained till 1879, he became friends with Nikolaos Gyzis. In Athens he presented his work in many group exhibitions (Melas House 1881, Parnassos Hall 1885, Zappeion Hall 1888, 1896) and received the bronze medal in the competition at the Parnassos Hall in 1890; he also participated in the World Exhibition of Paris in 1900 and the International Exhibition of Athens in 1903. He went into seclusion on the island of his birth and during the final decade of his life took part in only two exhibitions in Athens, in 1908 and 1910, consisting exclusively of old works, and he was gradually forgotten.

Already during his student years he was interested in genre painting, portraiture and the depiction of everyday scenes and objects. He gave the best example of his creative powers in his landscapes, rendering the unique flavour of the Greek landscape in agreement with those plein air tendencies which expressed themselves in Greek art during the final twenty years of the 19th century.