Thanassis Makris

Makris Thanassis

Born in Kalamata in 1955, he was an Athens School of Fine Arts student (1975-1980) of Yannis Moralis; he continued his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1980-1982). His works can be found in museums and private collections. He lives and works in Athens.

Works

On Art and His Art: Thanassis Makris

The painter Thanassis Makris describes his relationship with art as his attempt to interpret his awe before the world that surrounds him. He describes the creative process he follows through the making of a work, the external stimuli he receives and the references to them, all the way to the final work. He characterises the gaze of Sotiris Felios as hellenocentric and anthropocentric, and talks of his work Landscape, which is part of the collection. Explaining his need to preserve the autonomy of forms while composing an image, he points out that his primary aim is to show himself through each of his works, rather than their individual subject matters.

Solo Exhibitions

2024

solo exhibition A Touch of New/Vacation House Aspalathos Tinos island curated by Skoufa Gallery

2023

Thanassis Makris' Idols Skoufa Gallery Athens

2021

Thanassis Makris National Library of Greece Stavros Niarhos Cultural Centre Athens

2020

Thanassis Makris Skoufa Gallery Athens

2018

The Landscape – An Inexplicable Universe Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

2017

Maria Kallas, Drawings National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation Athens

2016

The Dominance of the Temporary Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

2012

Thanassis Makris: A Retrospective Frissiras Museum Athens

2011

Landscape Nude Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

2008

Moschandreou Gallery Missolonghi

2008

Epsilon Art Gallery Thessaloniki

2007

Tzamia-Krystalla Art Gallery Chania

2006

Painting Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

2004

Studies Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

2002

Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

2000

Chryssa Gallery Katerini

2000

Chyssothemis Art Gallery Athens

1998

Athens Art Gallery Athens

1997

Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

1994

Athens Art Gallery Athens

1993

Miranda Art Gallery Hydra

1991

Ekfrasi – Yianna Grammatopoulou Gallery Athens

1991

Municipal Art Gallery of Kalamata, "A. Tassos" Kalamata

1990

Titanium Gallery (Titanium Yiayiannos Gallery) Athens

1986

Ora Art and Cultural Centre Athens

1984

Ora Art and Cultural Centre Athens

Press

Thanassis Makris

What makes an immediate impression in these paintings by Makris is the colour, in varying hues and shades, applied thickly like clay to the canvas. The onlooker has the sense that this is some pulsating, ‘living’ material which sometimes stands out because of the layout and structure of the specific painting, but in other cases becomes a rich, restless colour as the journey of creative foment continues.

The “Missolonghi” this artist paints is a Missolonghi of small, isolated structures, be they houses or huts, in a horizontal landscape dominated by earthy and watery hues; the paintings appear to have been composed around some central axis with a upper and lower part, suggesting that in the middle lies the water and the reflection commences from there.

These are dynamic paintings, filled with passionate colour and a romantic artistic spirit, which seek to unite the artistic form with the emotional force underlying them, using thickly-applied paint as the medium for this; paint which is well worked on the pallet as an explosive mix of multiple colours, which with every brushstroke reveals its inner composition.

Makris has been acclaimed for many years now for his painting, and now utilises the inspiration from the unique landscape of Missolonghi to tailor his own unique style to the inspiration drawn from this landscape.

These are the works of a mature artist; works deeply personal to the artist. They are also on a par with are major painters from the start of the 20th century, such as N. Lytras and M. Economou, in whose footsteps he is a worthy follower.

 

Haris Kambouridis