Fotis in his Studio Visionary Greek painter, Fotis Galanopoulos, orchestrates rapturous images that convey elemental and timeless qualities. His subject matter varies widely but it is never topical or related to modernity. Instead Galanopoulos reminds us that our purpose is simple, that is, that we are beings of awareness and our charge is to explore all that surrounds us. And so, in this spirit, he paints abstractions of tribal days, explorations of the universe, and scenes of maritime beauty.

His style is as personal as his subjects, he applies paint heavily, stroke after stroke building up layers of color creating a rich impasto and charging the image with emotional power and movement. His palette fluctuates between joyous colors and deep brooding hues. Tempestuous skies recall El Greco, while his sublime works often recall Kandinsky's palette, all the while remaining firmly individualistic in presentation.

Galanopoulos has a strong relationship to the sea, in fact many of his paintings include boats and sails, vistas of the coastline, or the astounding variety of creatures that live within the oceans. Water and the universe become metaphors for the womb, a place where one’s consciousness may grow to a profound realization of who we are. He believes that painting “fascinates the soul and it gives spark in the logic to begin to search in order to comprehend and interpret.” Galanopoulos’ images require personal attention on behalf of the audience. Where certain paintings are direct, many remain very abstract, containing sophisticated motifs in a powerful swirling chaos out of which pours the beauty of life. His creative process plays out in stages, each one forming a quality of the finished piece. Painting with a palette knife, Galanopoulos applies the oil paint heavily and intuitively, creating the chaotic energy that forms the foundation of his work. Thereafter, he brings to the canvas a sense of order and meaning, like the calm that arises after a powerful storm.

His creative life has been influenced by the archetypes of Greek mythology, the totemic imagery of indigenous Americans, and time in the form of the passing seasons. Galanopoulos exhibits his work frequently around Greece, Cyprus, and the United States and he has enjoyed several artist profiles on Greek television. He works out of his studios in Drama and in Heraklion on Crete.

www.Art-Mine.com/ArtistPage/Fotis_Galanopoulos.aspx

Light - Oil on Canvas 20'' x 59'' Reasonable and Contradictions - Oil on Canvas 40'' x 40'' D.N.A. - Oil on Canvas 40'' x 40''