"Architecture through the paintings and sets of N. Engonopoulos"
"Architecture through the paintings and sets of N. Engonopoulos"
By: Ralli Kyriaki-Despina, Tsiouni Christina
Our work, entitled "Architecture through the paintings and sets of Nikos Engonopoulos", aims to highlight the inseparable relationships between different art forms. Engonopoulos himself is a famous example of how the interweaving of the arts exists, not only when it is depicted in the space, but also in the artists themselves. As a multi-faceted person, he successfully combined painting and architecture and gave the paintings, as well as the sets he was called upon to design, a unique meaning. With his knowledge and talent, Engonopoulos brought Surrealism/Surrealism to the forefront, in all the artistic aspects he dealt with. During our visits and our contact with the artist's archive, we drew information and details about his life, which were not widely known, such as his involvement with scenography and his work as a professor at the Technical University of Athens.
The work focused on the way Engonopoulos captures the "marriage" of painting and architectural currents, such as Neoclassicism, Folk architecture and Surrealism. With the thorough analysis of his paintings and settings, the reader will be allowed to delve into the art of painting by Nikos Engonopoulos, learn about the currents he incorporates in his paintings and distinguish the elements of Surrealism that overwhelm his paintings. The approach to work is purely based on qualitative characteristics. An important and primary step is the historical review of his life, his artistic work and the cognitive content with which Nikos Engonopoulos was involved. This includes both references to aspects of his life that influenced his artistic creation, as well as to the explanation of the currents that will accompany our analysis. With this approach, we will allow the best possible understanding of his work, but also the expansion of the knowledge we can gain about art in general. The guide to this effort is the combination of the information we received about his life, both from the archival material and the lectures of the course and from other online sources. Finally, in order to capture theoretical knowledge on a practical level, four paintings and one of the scenes created by Nikos Engonopoulos will be analyzed.
Theoretical and historical context
Nikos Engonopoulos was born on October 21, 1907 in Athens. He was born in the capital (on his mother's side) and in Istanbul (from his father), where he lived since 1914. He graduated from a school in Paris, where he first came into contact with French poetry. From 1928 to 1933, they vary. He worked as a translator in a bank, a clerk at the university and a designer in the city plan department of the Ministry of Education. Public Works. In 1930 he decided to attend a Greek school in order to obtain a Greek high school diploma. In 1932 he decided to study at the Athens School of Fine Arts, "one of the most admirable and most important schools in the world", as he says. At the school, he had the good fortune to associate with other renowned artists, such as the painter Yannis Moralis[1] and Konstantinos Parthenis[2], who was one of his teachers. According to Engonopoulos, the latter taught him what he knew about painting, the importance of color and line (Vourtsis, 2007).
In 1939, his first collection of poems "The Keystones of Silence" and "Bolivar" were printed[3]. In the same year (1939), the Greek Fashion Album was printed with his designs and he began to design sets and costumes. In addition, he was one of the architects who designed old houses in Athens for the "Greek Folk Art" association. In 1941 he was conscripted due to the war, while in 1944, during a period of fighting in Athens, despite the danger he was running, he stayed in his studio and painted, not wanting to abandon his works. In 1945 he was appointed to the Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction, for the design of new buildings and six years later, in 1951, he participated in the architects' exhibition. In 1952, 1957 and 1959 he continued to create sets and costumes, with some of the performances for which he designed the sets being "Sophocles' Electra", "The Good-Hearted Griniaris", "Medea" and "The Daughter". Furthermore, in 1966 he was awarded for his paintings, and a year later (1967) he was appointed as an adjunct professor at the National Technical University of Athens, for the course of Free Drawing. In 1973, when, due to age, he left the National Technical University of Athens, he became professor emeritus. His last solo exhibition took place in 1984. (Vourtsis, 2007)
Engonopoulos declares himself a Surrealist and this is also reflected in his works. He is one of the most important representatives of the generation of the '30s and one of the main exponents of surrealism in Greece, along with Andreas Embiricos and Nikos Kalas. In Greece, Surrealism made its presence felt in the 1930s, while from 1935-1938 there was a more systematic attempt to spread and establish it. It came as a current in the interwar years, years when there were significant changes in structural and organizational issues of the Greek state. Surrealism or Surrealism was born in France and was an occasion for criticism of linguistic and philosophical positivism, but also for the creation of a new literary genre and beyond. (Katsigiannis)
In the field of painting, Surrealism is a means of liberating the repressed unconscious of the individual. It highlights the fantastic, the hallucination and the dream, while at the same time abolishing any morphological rule. It transcends the axes of logic and reality and breaks social barriers. In other words, it "plays" with space and time, giving a fluidity to the two concepts.
It is worth noting that Nikos Engonopoulos also emphasized architecture, both in the paintings he painted and in the sets of the performances he designed. Specifically, it was mainly influenced by Folk or Traditional architecture and Neoclassicism. By "architecture", we define the art and science of designing and implementing built structures in the environment. According to Vitruvius, the basic principles of architecture are Beauty (Venustas), Stability (Firmitas) and Utility (Utilitas). (University of the Aegean) "While the practical purpose of architecture is to build works of social need, it also takes the gift of revealing the spirit of the time, especially of all other arts, because it is the mother art, the open book of archaeology for every culture..." (Michelis, 2002).
In his works, Engonopoulos, as mentioned above, seems to have incorporated characteristics of two currents of architecture, Popular/Traditional and Neoclassical. Folk architecture is defined as the art of building that is born directly from the needs of the people, expresses their way of life and their culture in general, in a given era. It flourished with the development of Greek communities and Hellenism in the 18th and 19th centuries. After the Greek Revolution, Folk architecture prevailed mainly in the periphery. Its characteristics are simplicity, functionality and adaptation to each environment, with houses placed next to each other along the road (Liamis, 2020).
In the cities, on the contrary, Neoclassicism was established. It is "Words Architecture" and was adopted from 1750, as a result of the Enlightenment, which prevailed in Europe in the 18th century. Of course, Greece did not take long to "repatriate" neoclassicism, stimulating the ancient Greek element that was its predominant characteristic. The beginning of neoclassicism in the Greek territories was the palace of King Otto, which was built around 1840. Subsequently, electricity was extended to many areas of the country. The newly established Greek state was looking to find its foundations and neoclassicism, with its strong references to antiquity, fully served the need for a reminder of Greek identity.
Neoclassicism is an official morphological expression, characterized by symmetrical arrangement, rules, simplicity, austerity, harmony and grandeur. Monochromatic clean surfaces are observed, with linear decorations, free colonnades, and other details that refer to classical temples of antiquity (Internet Archive, 2023).
3. Detailed Description of the Creative Work
In the passage from the theoretical stage of the work, i.e. the isolation of the material related to the life and work of Engonopoulos, as well as of the architectural currents imprinted in it, the final selection of their most characteristic combinations occurred. The focus of the analysis was divided into two umbrella categories, the paintings and the sets. At the same time, subsets of the above categories were created, which were organized in chronological order, depending on the architectural current they represent. More specifically, the following paintings were examined: "Landscape of Piraeus with a statue dressed", "Kastoria Building - House of Picheon", "Homeric with the Hero", "The Spirit of Solitude" and the setting entitled: "Sophocles' Electra".
The material was structured in this way, with the ultimate aim of highlighting Engonopoulos' work from the simplest forms of painting (neoclassical buildings), towards the complex and irregular placement of forms and objects in space (surrealism). As architectural currents and surrealism are an integral part of Engonopoulos' works, the aim of the analysis is to confirm this in practice.
Neoclassicism:
"Landscape of Piraeus with a Statue Dressed" (1944)
"Sophocles' Electra" (set)
The painting entitled "Landscape of Piraeus with a Statue Dressed" (1944), as well as the setting entitled "Sophocles' Electra", contain buildings influenced by neoclassicism. There is a particular composition of simple and geometric lines, with more intense color choices, reminiscent of surrealist elements, such as clouds and the unrealistic placement of objects. more specifically, they have geometric roofs covered by tiles, balconies supported by roofs and pillars with ancient Greek elements (Neoclassical architecture in Greece, 2015). In fact, in the main building of the setting, Engonopoulos has depicted a fairly frequent choice of technique for the façade, that of stonework or carving (Neoclassical architecture in Greece, 2015). Regarding the references to antiquity, the artist has not omitted to add figures reminiscent of statues of ancient Greece in any of his works. In the painting "Landscape of Piraeus with a statue dressed", of course, the statue takes on a more "free", "playful" and primarily surreal form, due to its clothing. On the contrary, in "Sophocles' Electra" a more faithful position of antiquities prevails, in order to obviously serve the purposes of the setting of ancient tragedy.
Folk Architecture:
"Kastoria Building - House of Picheon"
The painting entitled "Kastoria Building - Pigeon House" is a classic example of traditional architecture in Greece. The placement of the house next to the lake of Kastoria required adaptation to the weather conditions of the place. The architecture has at its core the practicality and functionality of its buildings, as represented by the aforementioned current. The absence of intense decoration, unusual morphological choices and vivid colors, does not make folk architecture inferior to the rest of the currents. Although the simplicity of neoclassicism has been analyzed, the same concept in traditional architecture stems from people's desire to simply serve housing needs and promotes the collective contribution of society to its construction. The combination of materials with great volume and weight, such as stone and wood, was the most prevalent in areas of mainland Greece. (Traditional settlements in Greece. Morphology and construction logics in dialogue with the place, 2015)
Engonopoulos follows the reality of mainland Greece and has depicted this particular building in such detail that it resembles a photograph. The choice of this particular building, perhaps, was not accidental, as his architectural knowledge allowed him to know that it is a typical example of the current. This particular work was not created with the aim of impressing, but rather to depict and highlight a living legacy. Traditional settlements in Greece. Morphology and construction logics in dialogue with the place, 2015)
Surrealism/Surrealism:
"Homeric with the Hero" (1938)
The 1938 painting entitled "Homeric with the Hero" is a classic example of Surrealism. Initially, a sequence of intense color choices is observed with red, orange, blue and green being the protagonists. In front and in the center of the painting, three characters are presented, with the common feature of the lack of a head and the costume that does not constitute a cohesive ensemble of similar aesthetics. Next to the figures, various objects are placed, on the right is a cube, having the "roll" of the table as two jugs and a glass are placed on it, next to it and between the two of the three bodies there is a chair. On the left, one of the depicted bodies steps with his foot on a chessboard next to which is a hand in red holding a clock. In the landscape, the artist has created clouds while the walls and a ship behind them are visible.
The painting overturns all kinds of logic and reality. The three characters of the painting are presented headless, while their clothes refer to different eras that are unrelated to each other. Objects that coexist with bodies, in a real landscape, would seem "strange" and disconnected, but in this particular space, they constitute a "normal" environment of symbolism with the rules dictated by Surrealism. Finally, it is worth adding the lack of depth to the individual landscape as Engonopoulos "plays" with space and abolishes the natural analogy.
"The Spirit of Solitude" (1939)
In the painting "The Spirit of Solitude" (1939), with an initially superficial look, we observe the intense colors chosen by the painter (blue, shades of red and green). The work consists of a body dressed in a blue dress, a bust of an ancient statue, a platter of fruits and a green table on which a lamp has been placed, which is located approximately in the center of the painting. Further back on the rock you can see the Acropolis (a frequent addition to Engonopoulos' paintings) and a house influenced by the current of Neoclassicism. Between the acropolis and the neoclassical house, two columns can be distinguished, as well as a body sitting on a chair with its hands resting on a table. In the background, the sky and the sea can be seen in shades of blue.
The landscape looks strange and does not correspond to real data. Once again, Nikos Engonopoulos combines figures in which the characteristics of their faces are not visible, with scattered objects from different eras. The bust and the Acropolis give the element of antiquity, clearly visible in the artist's works. All the elements together are connected and contribute to the creation of a symbolic and utopian setting, while the neoclassical house in a surreal painting shows the tendency of Nikos Engonopoulos to connect art and architecture. Finally, the unusual use of space does not go unnoticed, the Acropolis is much larger than the objects in front of it, while the neoclassical building is unusually smaller. Space does not have the classical natural analogy observed in other more "traditional" currents and the concept of depth in the painter's paintings escapes the "normal".
4. Description of the Creative Process
The most exciting part of this work was the creativity and freedom it offered. Engonopoulos himself was a living example of how art is intertwined harmoniously, an element of which we in turn wish to highlight. Over time, the different currents of architecture, in parallel with the different currents of painting, converse and never cease to create a unique experience both for the artist himself and for the viewer of each work.
So, knowing the inseparable relationship between the two art forms in Engonopoulos' work, when we came into contact with his works in person, the idea of our work was born. The beginning of the discovery of information began with the archive of Engonopoulos at the Athens School of Fine Arts, since our inspiration came from the works themselves. We utilized the archive that was offered to us, in order to choose in which currents of architecture we want to deepen, always with the emergence of the artist as the central axis. We ended up with the aforementioned paintings, in which the correspondence between archival material and architectural knowledge was judged to be more faithful, as well as the sets. The decision to add the sets was aimed at the emergence of the set designer Nikos Engonopoulos, who, thanks to his versatility, has not received the recognition he deserves. Then, in addition to the tangible material, the information extracted from the web was added, for a more comprehensive view of the progress of the work.
As it seems logical, such an accomplished artist had a multitude of works, a volume that we had to separate and classify, according to the criteria of our work. The corresponding process followed for the collection of information about the different currents of architecture, as each of the three had different characteristics from the other. The classification of the material to be used was the step in which our goal began to take shape.
Then, the elementary separation was not enough, because the volume of material remained large. After careful observation of all the information and works we had at our disposal, we decided that our focus would be on the three currents: Neoclassicism, Folk/Traditional Architecture and Surrealism. Our already existing, albeit limited, knowledge of the currents, pushed us to think that when the presentation of the work to the public takes place, the course of thought will be approached from the known to the unknown. In this course, the audience would be led smoothly by elements they already know about Engonopoulos, towards a more "occult" aspect of the artist. The analysis of architecture depicted in paintings may not be the most obvious approach to the artist's art. For this reason, therefore, we chose to touch on this topic superficially and avoid further deepening.
It was now the turn of the planning and digitalization of work. During the planning stage, we decided on the order in which our themes will be placed, as well as how the audience will be more directly involved. With this in mind, we chose to emphasize more the current of Surrealism, with the addition of an interactive Question-Quiz. After the public will have received the knowledge of the basic characteristics of the current in general and especially in architecture, they will then be able to apply their knowledge and in turn, to discover that multidimensional combination of art in the works of Engonopoulos.
The last stage was the production of the project and the final evaluation of the progress of the work. The morphological characteristics of the presentation, i.e. the font and the graphics, were carefully selected to be characteristic of the currents to be analyzed.
The whole process was particularly pleasant, as we treated it as a blank canvas, in which we would be the people who would color the side of the artist that aroused our interest. The greatest confirmation of our choice and our work was the audience's desire to contribute to our work. The question we posed at the end, not only gave an interactive character to the work, but managed to constitute an open dialogue of thoughts and feelings for Engonopoulos. On the contrary, the challenges we faced were minimal and mainly concerned the doubt about the correctness of our choices in the early stages.
5. Epilogue
In conclusion, Engonopoulos proves in practice the "boxing" of one art form, within another. Architecture, painting and scenography, although they have separate "profiles" in the artistic world, are tied together for the sake of the fluidity they present. Thus, they confirm the importance of the individual's recourse to the various forms of art, as a means of expression of the real and imaginary worlds. Although he is considered one of the main exponents of Surrealism, he did not reject influences from other architectural currents, which also helps his admirers to form a more comprehensive view of art.
Access to archival material that is not open to the general public that concerns an artist is so influential, makes for a unique experience. However, as pleasant as the whole process was, it also carried a great burden of responsibility, for the proper management of the information, so that the result of our engagement would be worthy of the artist. The choice of a more free and creative subject for the work required special attention to each step individually, as it resulted from our desire to include less enlightened aspects of Engonopoulos and clashed with the limited literature. The creative approach and understanding of the archive revealed personal occult aspects and interests that we did not know we shared.
As students of this department, which combines more traditional forms of depiction and integration of art, such as museum spaces, with new forms, such as the use of social media, we would propose a more universal approach to the archive. Finding the "golden ratio" between real and online space will enable multiple uses of the wealth of information, in imaginative ways. It would also be interesting, in addition to the different media-channels of communication of the project, to organize the material in such a way that it is accessible to all social groups, e.g. children, the elderly, people with disabilities, etc., so that no person is deprived of his connection with art and above all, with the art of Engonopoulos.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gmanolis. (2020, July 21). Folk architecture. The folk wisdom in the shaping of space - Pemptousia. Quintessence. https://www.pemptousia.gr/2020/07/laiki-architektoniki-i-laiki-sofia-sti-diamorfosi-tou-chorou/
Wayback machine. (x.d.). https://web.archive.org/web/20210421110625/https://repository.kallipos.gr/bitstream/11419/3544/1/02_chapter_03.pdf
Open Academic Courses TEI of Athens, (2015), "Neoclassical Architecture in Greece" - Power Point (Retrieved from: https://ocp.teiath.gr/modules/document/index.php?course=DIAK_UNDER100&openDir=/567817ceQNy7/567817d5RRyV on 16/06/2025)
Open Academic Courses TEI of Athens, (2015), "Traditional settlements in Greece. Morphology and construction logics in dialogue with place" - Power Point (Retrieved from: https://ocp.teiath.gr/modules/document/index.php?course=DIAK_UNDER100&openDir=/567817ceQNy7/567817d5RRyV on 16/06/2025)
Vourtsis, I. (2007) "Brief biography of the painter and poet Nikos Engonopoulos". (Recovered from: https://openeclass.panteion.gr/modules/document/?course=TMF291 on 15/06/2025).
Katsigiannis, A.M. (h.d.), "Greek Surrealism" - Power Point. (Recovered from: https://openeclass.panteion.gr/modules/document/?course=TMF291 on 18/06/2025)
Katsigiannis, A.M. (ed.), "Hyperrealism in the Arts" - Power Point. (Recovered from:https://h1.nu/10-ie on 18/06/2025)
Komninos, V. (2022, July 19). Konstantinos Parthenis – July 25, 1967. www.ert.gr. https://www.ert.gr/ert-arxeio/konstantinos-parthenis-25-ioylioy-1967/
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[1] "Yiannis Moralis takes shape and matures in the '30s. A student at the School of Fine Arts from the age of fifteen (1931), he obtained a
solid artistic education. Two of his teachers, the most modern, Parthenis and Kefalinos, cultivate, each in his own way, a
classic ideal. Prominent figures of the time are Kontoglou,
Pikionis, Papaloukas, Ghikas and the young rising stars, students and followers: Tsarouchis, Diamantopoulos, Engonopoulos, Vassiliou and others. The Third Eye, an instrument of the avant-garde, is read greedily. Indigenous and foreign theoretical texts converge towards the "utopia" of a Greek ideal, which seeks aesthetic and formal foundations in both tradition and avant-garde" (National Gallery, 20011).
[2] "Konstantinos Parthenis, one of the most important Greek painters of the 20th century, established with his work and teaching at the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA) a new school for the art of painting in modern Greece. Born in Alexandria in 1878, he studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, was influenced by German symbolism and early German Expressionism, and later came into contact with French post-impressionism. His work is modern, characterized by a Greekness through the use of elements of Byzantine hagiography, by a strong sense of rhythm, but also by a spirituality that is expressed through the distinct brightness and brilliance of its colors" (Komnimos, 2022).
[3] In this work, no detailed information about his poems will be mentioned, as we focus on his painting and scenographic work.
