Constantinos Parthenis (Greek, 1878-1967)Orpheus and Calypso signed 'C. Parthenis' (lower right)oil on canvas65 x 44 cm.注脚Painted c. 1920-1925.ProvenanceS. Loverdos collection, Athens. Private collection, Athens.ExhibitedAthens, Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, Parthenis, June 2004 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 47).Athens, B&M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts & Music, Constantinos Parthenis, Art and Spirit, February 26 - June 1, 2014 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 71). LiteratureA.Kouria, 55 Unknown Works by Known Greek Artists, Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive Society edition, Athens 2002, p. 42 (discussed), p. 43 (illustrated).E. Mathiopoulos, The Life and Work of Costis Parthenis, K. Adam editions, Athens 2008, no. 162, p. 421 (catalogued), p. 246 (illustrated). Mnemon magazine, no. 31, 2010, p. 226 (discussed). S. Kotidou, European and Greek Symbolism in Painting: Convergences and Divergences, doctoral dissertation, Thessaloniki 2015, p. 293 (discussed), p. 292, no. 156 (illustrated).A star feature of the Greek Sale and one of the finest works by Parthenis to have ever come up in the auction market, Orpheus and Calypso—which formerly adorned the stellar art collection of Spyros Loverdos—reveals the painter's fascination with allegorical compositions and symbolist personifications marked by a persistent absorption in a purified world that soars loftily in the heights of ideas.1 The 1920s is a period when Parthenis was supported by liberal politicians and businessmen, as well as conservative bankers and leading members of the establishment, including the Chairman of the National Bank of Greece Dimitrios Maximos and the founders of Laiki Bank Spyros and Dionysios Loverdos. As noted by Professor E. Matthiopoulos in his monograph on the artist, "Parthenis's relationship with the Loverdos brothers was particularly close. While still a journalist with the Asty newspaper, Spyros Loverdos had strongly supported the artist's first showings in Athens. Since 1900 he and his brother, consistently acquired important and emblematic works at exceptionally high prices and entrusted him with the artistic supervision of the newly founded Dionysios Loverdos Museum of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art. Considering the deep religiosity of Parthenis and the Loverdos brothers, we could posit that these two cultured intellectuals and art-loving bankers exercised a highly productive influence on the painter, whole-heartedly and open-handedly supporting the establishment of a modernist neo-Byzantine artistic style." 2 Inspired by the poetic atmosphere of the symbolist era, during which idealized beauty and pure idea became a veritable religion, Parthenis created a mesmerizing allegorical work of rhythmic patterns, abbreviated shapes and evocative colours. Set in an imaginary arcadia, the ethereal figures of Orpheus3 and Calypso4 occupy a world of dream-like visions drawn not only from ancient sources but also from Byzantine icon painting, Art Nouveau, the Jugendstil and Cubism, while preserving a distinctive Greek character that claims the eye and provokes the viewer's emotional and spiritual participation. As noted by former Athens National Gallery Direcror D. Papastamos, "Parthenis's art reflects the vision of an artist loaded with age-old memories and entranced by the dynamism and boldness of the twentieth century."5 The work opens with Orpheus playing his lyre, while Calypso, perched on a schematised rocky formation (that alludes to ancient ruins or iconographic conventions of Virgin Mary in Byzantine representations of Nativity), holds her lyre and raises her right arm as if orchestrating the divine melody. The two graceful figures seem enraptured by their purified art, while the slender cypresses6 seem to flock around them, irresistibly drawn to the magic of music, accentuating the picture's allegorical evocation and overall feel of spiritual and moral uplift. In such a lyrical setting charged by timeless references, the two mythological figures can be identified with the idea of music as a lofty symbol of universal order, harmony and peace. As noted by Z. Papantoniou, "by dematerialising form and giving shape to ideas, Parthenis creates a musical quality; in other words, he lifts painting to the realm of music, the most immaterial of all arts." 7,8 1 See A. Kotidis, "The Influence of Hellenic Art on the Work of C. Parthenis", Actes du XVIII Congres de l' AICA, Greece, 1984, p. 149. 2 E. Mathiopoulos, C. Parthenis, The Life and Work of Costis Parthenis[in Greek], Adam editions, Athens 2008, pp. 66-68. 3 One of the most familiar figures in Greek mythology, Orpheus inherited from his mother, the Muse Calliope, her love of poetry and song. His lyre was a gift from the god Apollo, and he was taught the art of playing by the Muses themselves. 4 A sea nymph of undeniable beauty known for the episode related by Homer in the Odyssey, in which she entertained Ulysses for seven years on the remote island of Ogygia, promising him immortality if he would marry him. She died of grief when the hero finally left for his native Ithaca. 5 D. Papastamos, Painting 1930-1940, Astir Insurance editions, Athens, 1981, p. 68.6 "The vertical is a quintessentially idealistic line symbolising faith and uplift towards the heavens. That's why Parthenis so often makes use of his beloved cypress." Z. Papantoniou, "The Art of Parthenis" [in Greek], Patris daily, January 19, 1920.7 Ibid.8 Parthenis himself was an ardent lover of classical music and, accompanied by his wife, he often attended Sunday concerts and recitals by great performers at the Municipal Theatre, the Olympia and the Kentrikon music halls in Athens. See K. Iliadis, The World of Art in the Period Between the Wars [in Greek], Athens 1978, p. 101.