Dimitris Mytaras

Key facts

Lived

1934–2017, Greek^[1]

Movement

• portrait

^[1]

Wikipedia

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• What is Dimitris Mytaras's most famous work?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist known for his paintings and stage designs. While he created work across several styles and media, no single piece is universally considered his "most famous". Mytaras studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Yannis Moralis, later teaching there himself. His early paintings often explored social and political themes. During the period of the Greek military junta (1967^[1]-1974^[1]), his art became more explicitly critical of the regime. Later in his career, Mytaras moved towards a more expressionistic style. He is well known for his series of portraits, often depicting figures with distorted or exaggerated features. These works display his interest in the human condition and psychological states. He also worked in set and costume design for the theatre, collaborating with major Greek theatre companies. His diverse output makes it difficult to isolate one definitive work that overshadows his other artistic achievements.
• What should I know about Dimitris Mytaras's prints?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist known for his paintings and prints. When considering Mytaras's prints, there are several aspects to keep in mind. Original prints are produced by hand, with the artist creating the artwork directly on a plate, woodblock, stone, or screen. These include woodcuts, engravings, linocuts, etchings, lithographs and serigraphs. Each print is considered an original because the artist creates the artwork specifically to be a print. Many artists create limited editions, where a specific number of prints are produced. Each print in a limited edition is typically numbered (for example, 35/100, where 100 is the total number of prints, and 35 is the print number). The artist usually signs and numbers the prints in pencil. The edition claim is written as a pair of numbers on the left bottom margin of the print; the title of the print is written in the middle of the bottom margin; and the signature is on the right. Offset reproductions (also known as posters) are created using photochemical means. The number of prints may be limited to add value. Giclée prints are fine art prints made using inkjet technology. Canvas transfers involve transferring the image onto canvas to give it the appearance of a painting.
• What style or movement did Dimitris Mytaras belong to?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist whose work defies easy categorisation within a single style or movement. He engaged with aspects of both Expressionism and New Realism, but developed a personal approach that set him apart. Early in his career, Mytaras explored social issues through figurative painting, often employing distorted forms and intense colour to convey emotional weight. This period aligns with certain tendencies within Expressionism, a movement that prioritises subjective experience and emotional impact over strict representation. Later, Mytaras incorporated elements of New Realism into his art. New Realism, which emerged in the late 1950s, involved incorporating everyday objects and mass-produced imagery into artworks. Mytaras used these elements to comment on contemporary Greek society. While his work shares characteristics with these movements, Mytaras ultimately forged his own distinctive path. His art is best understood as a synthesis of diverse influences, filtered through his unique artistic vision and personal experiences. He remained committed to exploring the human condition and social realities throughout his career.
• What techniques or materials did Dimitris Mytaras use?+

  Artists use varied materials and techniques. Painting materials range from natural pigments in fresco and egg tempera to chemical pigments in watercolour and oil. Contemporary options include acrylics and mixed media. Sculptors use wood, marble, and bronze, but can also employ cardboard, plastic, and found objects. Techniques include applying oil paint thickly in impasto or thinly in glazes. Brushwork varies from fine to thick, or stencilled. Sculpture involves carving, modelling in clay, casting, assemblage, or using found objects. For oil painting, canvases are often primed cotton duck with gesso. Some artists use Masonite coated with gesso. Artists' quality paints are preferred for colour saturation and stability. Brushes include filberts and flats, often hog hair for springiness. Grounds can be gessoed MDF, primed canvas stuck to MDF, or primed canvas. Some artists prime their own canvases for quality control and preparation. One method involves priming cotton duck canvas with thinned Flake White, sanding it, then mixing oil paint with a wax and turpentine medium, applied with a brush and worked with a spatula or knife. Heating the medium can affect the paint's consistency.
• What was Dimitris Mytaras known for?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist known for figurative painting and set design. Although he explored various styles, including abstract art early in his career, he became recognised for his representational work. Mytaras studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and later in Paris. His art often reflected social and political concerns, particularly after the Greek military junta of 1967^[1]-1974^[1]. His paintings explored themes of violence, power, and the human condition. He frequently depicted crowds, distorted figures, and scenes of conflict. Beyond painting, Mytaras also worked in stage design. He created sets and costumes for numerous theatre productions, collaborating with major Greek theatre companies. His work in this area extended his artistic reach and allowed him to explore visual storytelling in a different medium.
• When did Dimitris Mytaras live and work?+

  Dimitris Mytaras was born in 1934^[1] and died in 2017^[1]. His career began after his studies at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he was a student of Yannis Moralis. He also studied stage design with Vassilis Diamantopoulos. Mytaras continued his studies on a Greek^[1] State Scholarship at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Mytaras taught at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1975^[1] to 2003. He is known for his paintings, set designs, and book illustrations. His artistic style went through several phases, from realism to expressionism. Mytaras had many solo and group exhibitions in Greece and internationally, including shows in Paris. His work can be found in public and private collections.
• Where can I see Dimitris Mytaras's work?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist known for his paintings and stage designs. His works are displayed in several public collections. The National Gallery, Athens, holds a collection of his paintings, drawings, and prints. These holdings offer an overview of his artistic development. Other Greek institutions with his work include the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki and the Municipal Art Gallery of Ioannina. Beyond Greece, Mytaras's art has been exhibited internationally. While specific permanent locations outside Greece are less documented, his pieces have appeared in various temporary exhibitions in European cities. Catalogues from these shows, when available, provide records of exhibited works and their locations at the time. Checking museum websites and art databases may reveal current exhibition information.
• Where was Dimitris Mytaras from?+

  Dimitris Mytaras was Greek^[1]; ancient Greece was not a single geographical entity, but a collection of city-states sharing a common language and culture. These communities identified as Greek through their language, despite variations in dialects and alphabets. Those who spoke other languages were termed "barbarians". In the 1st millennium BCE, mainland Greece saw a series of invasions, such as the Dorians conquering the Mycenaeans. This led local populations to retreat into walled coastal cities, which evolved into Greek poleis. The Mycenaeans may have originated in Eastern Europe, with Indo-European tribes from the Black Sea region migrating south through the Balkans. By 1450 BCE, the Mycenaeans had become the dominant Mediterranean civilisation, succeeding the Minoans, and later settled throughout Greece and Anatolia.
• Who did Dimitris Mytaras influence?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist whose work encompassed a range of styles and themes. Any assessment of his influence must consider the complex interplay between his artistic output and the broader art environment. Some scholars have observed a conscious allusion to Western art among Mytaras's generation, a feature of contemporaneity. Artists of this period encountered the avant-garde through various channels. These included exhibitions of American and European art held in Moscow during the early 1960s, and the collections of figures such as George Costakis. The Russian avant-garde, for example, was understood in a particular way. Some viewed artists as organically bound to their creations, rather than as deliberative historical agents. This perspective highlights the challenges in evaluating artistic influence, as it requires consideration of both individual expression and historical context. The framing of historical and personal experience produces art of different value, and substance, from its models.
• Who influenced Dimitris Mytaras?+

  Artistic influence is a complex matter. It is more than simple imitation; it involves how an artist draws inspiration from past works. Samuel van Hoogstraten advised young painters to be inspired by the honour of the great masters and to compete with celebrated predecessors. In Renaissance Italy, the imitation of other artists was already a theoretical issue in the fourteenth century. Cennino Cennini urged young painters to follow the example of a single master, rather than trying to assimilate the virtues of several. He claimed that fidelity to one model would enable the student to acquire their own technique or style. However, fifteenth-century theorists, such as Alberti and Leonardo, believed that dependence on the example of others should give way to direct study of nature. Petrarch addressed the issue of influence in letters to Boccaccio, admitting the necessity of imitating models. He suggested that when borrowing from ancient sources, one should alter them. He maintained that one should borrow from several sources, so that one may have a style that is one's own, put together from many.
• Who was Dimitris Mytaras?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist celebrated for his contributions to modern Greek art. Born in Piraeus, Greece, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Yannis Moralis from 1953^[1] to 1957. He continued his studies in stage design at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Mytaras became a professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts in 1975, where he taught until 2003. His work often explored social and political themes, reflecting the turbulent times of Greek history. He is known for his expressive use of colour and dynamic compositions. Mytaras worked across painting, set design, and illustration, leaving a considerable mark on the Greek art scene.
• Why are Dimitris Mytaras's works important today?+

  Dimitris Mytaras (1934^[1]-2017^[1]) was a Greek^[1] artist whose work is important for his reintegration of figurative elements with both literature and mythology. His approach realigned these subjects with the formal requirements of contemporary art. While religious themes appeared in earlier 20th-century masters, such as Emil Nolde, Mytaras looked to romantic sources, similar to Eugène Delacroix. Mytaras's contribution lies not merely in his neo-figurative style, but in re-emphasising aspects of painting that had diminished in his time. His art prompts questions about the value of reinstating components previously discarded in the pursuit of artistic independence. The answer suggests that Mytaras's work, while seemingly a return to the past, includes forward movement. The worth of Mytaras's paintings is found not in whether they are old or new, but in the substance of the work itself.