Walker, 1966 - 1969

Ioannis Avramidis was born in Vatum, Russia. In 1943 he settled in Vienna, where for a number of years he was a professor and Director of the Academy of Fine Arts.

The full-length male figure, heir to the ancient Kouros, dominates his oeuvre.

In 1967, Avramidis began a series of figures that he called “Bandfiguren” – i.e. Figures in Bands or rows. He also introduced movement into these compositions. “Walker” is the prelude to this new concept. Maintaining the frontality and using the ancient Kouros as a prototype, Avramidis concentrated his treatment exclusively on the schematized depiction of the figure’s legs. Thus he created a thoroughly abstract composition, yet one that despite the omission of the head, body and arms, remains totally clear in its concept.