Nikos Engonopoulos (Greek, 1907-1985)Sur la guerre d' Indépendance (Paysage orphique) huile sur toile120 x 100cm (47 1/4 x 39 3/8in).Peint en 1939oil on canvasFootnotes:ProvenanceThe artist's collection.Private collection, Athens. ExposéAthens, Nicolas Calas residence, Exhibition of Paintings by Nikos Engonopoulos, 1939 (possibly).Venice, XXVII Biennale, June 19 - October 17, 1954, no. 12, under the title Paesaggio Orfico con Eroi (listed in the exhibition catalogue, p. 295).Athens, Institut Francais d'Athènes, Nikos Engonopoulos, Peintre et Poète, Huiles, Tempera et Livres, November 13-28, 1987, no. 7 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue).Athens, Astrolavos Gallery, N. Engonopoulos, Mythology, Byzantium, Revolution, March 16 - April 3, 1999, no. 3 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, fig. 1).Thessaloniki, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Place: Engonopoulos, May 18 - July 29, 2007 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 13).Andros, Museum of Contemporary Art - Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Nikos Engonopoulos, June 25 - October 1, 2017 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 62).LittératureChartis magazine, no. 25-26, November 1988, p. 162 (illustrated).Ta Nea tis Technis, no. 34, 1995, p. 20 (discussed and illustrated).R. Zamarou, The Poet Nikos Engonopoulos, a Visit of Places and Figures, Kardamitsa editions, Athens 1996, p. 139 (mentioned).Nikos Engonopoulos, The Angels in Heaven Speak Greek, Interviews, Comments and Opinions, Ypsilon editions, Athens 1999, p. 64a (illustrated).Athens News, March 25, 1999 (illustrated).The National Herald (New York), March 27-28, 1999 (illustrated).Eleftherotypia newspaper, December 19, 1999 (illustrated).M. Ioannidou, The Theoretical Conditions and the First Phase of Surrealism in Greek Painting, Doctoral dissertation, Thessaloniki 2000, pp. 145-147 (discussed), no. 34 (illustrated).N. Andrikopoulou, Tracing Nikos Engonopoulos, Potamos editions, Athens 2003, p. 59 (mentioned). K. Perpinioti-Agazir, Nikos Engonopoulos, Son Univers Pictural, exhibition catalogue and catalogue raisonée, Benaki Museum, Athens 2007, no. 258, p. 128 (illustrated), p. 249 (illustrated), 418 (illustrated).N. Engonopoulos, Love is the Only Way, National Book Centre of Greece, Athens 2007, p. 38 (illustrated).N. Chaini, The Painting of Nikos Engonopoulos, doctoral dissertation, National Technical University of Athens, 2007, no. 186, pp. 471-472 (discussed), p. 473 (illustrated).Culture magazine, no. 11, March 22-23, 2008 (illustrated on the front cover).O. Tachopoulou, Modernist Primitivism, Surrealist Versions in the Poetic Work of Nikos Engonopoulos, Nefeli editions, Athens 2009, p. 323-324 (discussed), no. 4 (illustrated).Nikos Engonopoulos, Painter and Poet, conference minutes, November 23-24, 2007, Benaki Museum, Athens 2010, pp. 94, 96, 98 (discussed), no. 28 (illustrated).K. Voulgaris, Kolokotronis has the Beauty of a Greek, Vivliorama editions, Athens 2020, pp. 50-54 (discussed), p. 53 (illustrated). 'For Engonopoulos, the 1821 uprising was a celebration, a feast, an outburst, like nature's explosion in early spring.'1A tour de force inspired by the Greek Revolution and War of Independence, this emblematic Engonopoulos is a leading example of the artist's fervently sought after pre-war period. Using an avant-garde surrealist vocabulary and at the same time deeply rooted in Greekness, Sur la Guerre d'Indépendance (Paysage Orphique) was exhibited in the 1954 Venice Biennale, where, for the first time, Greece was represented by one artist alone. There, Engonopoulos showed alongside such towering figures of modern art as Arp, Ernst, Miro, Klee, Bacon and Magritte, since the exhibition had requested participating countries to adhere to the central theme of Surrealism. Using cross-temporal iconographic leaps that were common during the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine eras in both miniature manuscripts and narthex decoration, Engonopoulos transports the viewer from ancient to modern times, staging a dream-like scene from the treasure trove of Greek history. The coexistence of ancient past (exemplified mainly by the lyre-holding Orpheus2 with the Minotaur head), recent history (illustrated by the hero of the Greek War of Independence in his traditional fustanella kilt) and modern reality (captured in such apt details as the round coffee shop table on the left, the still life with fruit in the foreground and the striped beach cabin in the distance) sets forth the main aesthetic and ideological preoccupations of the 1930s generation and faithfully reflects the artist's attitude towards painting, both as a long and rich tradition to draw from, as well as an ideal vehicle to probe into the inner world of Greekness. Discussing Composition (Sur la Guerre d' Indépendance), art historian O. Tachopoulou notes: 'The picture shows a Minotaur/warrior, who is also a musician, holding with one hand a lyre while with the other seems to exhort a Greek warrior to make a triumphant gesture by waving a horse head. The modelling of the minotaur-like face with two geometric volumes—a recurrent convention in Engonopoulos's pictorial output—alludes to the artistic symbolism of the Minotaur motif that has nothing to do with feelings of fear or animosity. Instead, the artist uses the image of the Minotaur as a symbol of the subconscious, much the same way the surrealists used it before transforming it into a scary figure following the devastating experience of World War II.'3This persistence on indigenous cultural experiences combined with a deep sense for the historical past clearly indicates that 'while European surrealists used an irrational vocabulary to break free from the shackles of traditional conventions, Engonopoulos perceived tradition as a 'connecting link' that would restore cultural continuity.'4 As noted by Athens National Gallery Director M. Lambraki-Plaka, 'his figures may draw their origin from Giorgio de Chirico but they are unmistakably Greek, reminiscent of the Minoans immortalized on the Knossos frescoes and the early kouroi, while alluding to the tall and slender formula of the Byzantine saints also evident in El Greco's work.'51 Professor S. Rozanis as quoted in 'This is how Engonopoulos Saw 1821' [in Greek], O Kosmos tou Ependyti newspaper, March 21, 1999.2 Orpheus, the archetype of the poet as liberator and creator, held a particular fascination for Engonopoulos, who depicted him many times over a period of more than thirty years, often adopting him as his own persona. 3 O. Tachopoulou, Modernist Primitivism, Surrealist Versions in the Poetic Work of Nikos Engonopoulos, [in Greek], Nefeli editions, Athens 2009, pp. 323-324.4 N. Loizidi, 'The Indigenous Surrealism of Nikos Engonopoulos' [in Greek], To Vima daily - Nees Epoches, October 21, 2007, p. A57.5 M. Lambraki-Plaka 'The Timeless Pantheon of Nikos Engonopoulos' [in Greek], Filologiki quarterly, no. 101, October-November-December 2007, p. 9.«Pour Engonopoulos, la révolte de 1821 a été une célébration, une fête, une éruption, comme l'explosion de la nature au début du printemps.»Véritable tour de force inspiré par la Révolution grecque et la Guerre d'Indépendance, cette œuvre emblématique d'Engonopoulos est un exemple phare des œuvres les plus recherchées de l'artiste datant de l'avant-guerre, et est également profondément ancrée dans la « Grecité ». Sur la Guerre d'Indépendance (Paysage Orphique) a été exposé à la Biennale de Venise en 1954, ... This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com