Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life." Needing a rest from the pace of life of Limassol and a change of scene, I decided to visit Nicosia and delve into the city's cultural scene, namely two galleries: The State Gallery of Contemporary Art in Stasinou Avenue and the A.G Leventis Gallery.
The State Gallery of Contemporary Art is housed in a beautiful neo-classical stone building dating from 1925, which was renovated by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Getting in, requires you to ring a doorbell and inside you are presented with a wealth of Cypriot art. I first came across Costa Averkiou's 'My Mother' (1958), which I wanted to see in person and which reflects a warm and vivid impression of the artist's mother. What stood out for me however, were the works of another artist, Adamantios Diamantis.
The works of Adamantios Diamantis, particularly 'The Three Mothers' (1972) and Women with Outstreched Hands' (1983-84) are pensive and reflective, with a contrast of light and dark but also viewing motherhood as a symbol of continuity and renewal and the hope for the future. In my later visit to the A.G Leventis Gallery, I came across more of Diamantis' work, namely his monumental pieces ' The World of Cyprus,' (1967-1972), 'Agonies Before and After' (1977) and 'When the World of Cyprus First Heard the Bad News' (1975). In these later works, he focuses on a nation's turmoil, often in a dark and pessimistic style but also with promise and hope.
Viewed as the "father of modern Cypriot painting," Diamantis was born in Nicosia and studied art at St. Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art. His archive was recently donated to the University of Cyprus in order that his research and sketches can be accessible to future generations.
Another artist whose work stood out for me was Loukia Nicolaidou-Vassiliou (1909-1994) who as a trailblaizing figure was the first professional female artist in Cyprus.
Born into a wealthy family in Limassol in 1909, she challenged the social norms that expected women to be wives and mothers and moved to Paris in 1929. Upon returning to Cyprus in 1933, she held solo exhibitions in Nicosia and Limassol (1934-1936), however her work in a socially conservative environment was met with public indifference. Disheartened by this, she moved to London in 1937.
In 1939, she married shipowner Ioannis Vassiliou. She gradually withdrew from the public art scene to focus on her family but continued to paint privately until the mid-1960s. She was largely forgotten until 1992 when the State Gallery restored her status as a pioneer of modern Cypriot art. She died in England in 1994. At the State Gallery, I was deeply drawn to her monumentally bold and impressive work 'The Rich Fruits of the Earth' and at the A.G Leventis Gallery 'Daughters of God, which again uses vibrant and bold outlines and colours.
At the A.G Leventis Gallery, I took part in a guided tour of the works of Christoforos Savva (1924-1968). Savva was a groundbreaking and transformative figure in 20th century art and became the leading voice of the newly independent Republic of Cyprus. His work shows incredible diversity, using materials such as wood, cement and fabric and his work represents an inclusive Cypriot identity.
In May 1960, he co-founded the Apophasis Gallery with the artist Glyn Hughes and hosting the first-ever joint exhibition of Greek and Turkish Cypriot artists. His work, presented at the A.G Leventis Gallery was discovered through a remarkable meeting in late 2020. The archive originated from a decades-old friendship between Savva and a Turkish Cypriot collector (the father of the donor).
The guided tour took us through the different periods of Savva's life and work. Following his sudden death, his work was rediscovered by later generations and the exhibition features both his work but also sketches, experimental works and notes from his private archive. Of particular interest for me was his work using pins to create an image on a canvas. The exhibition runs until June.
All the works I was lucky to see, drew you in to an impression all of the artists had of both their time abroad and their view of Cyprus. It is apparent in all of these works, that there existed a deep love but also a deep concern for the future of the island, from the darkness and light seen in Diamantis' work to the lack of initial recognition of Loukia Nicolaidou-Vassiliou's work and the restlessness and struggles seen in Savva's work.
What is a consolation today, is that the life and work of these artists is viewed and recognised for what it stands for and can hopefully guide us to how we choose to create a future for this island.
