He studied at the School of Fine Arts (1928-1934) under Dimitrios Biskinis, Dimitrios Geraniotis, Spyros Vikatos, Georgios Jakovides, Thomas Thomopoulos, Yannis Kefallinos and Konstantinos Parthenis. At the same time he spent four years (1930-1934) in the workshop of Fotis Kontoglou who initiated him into Byzantine painting and music.
Koundouriotissa or Woman from Eleusis (1948) by Tsarouchis YannisNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
In 1935 he traveled to Constantinople and Smyrna and then went to Paris where he learned the art of copperplate. In the French capital, he studied at first hand the painting of Theophilos from the Teriade collection.
Olympia Landscape (Green) (1934) by Tsarouchis YannisNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
He also met Matisse, Laurens and Giacometti. In 1936 he returned to Greece and two years later organized his first solo show at the Th. Alexopoulos business in Athens.
This was followed by many solo shows among which were retrospectives in 1952 at the British Council, 1966 at the Astor gallery and 1981 at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki while in 1980 a solo show was organized at the Grand Palais. His exhibition activity also included appearances at the exhibitions of the “Armos” (Junction) group, of which he was a founding member, Panhellenies and international exhibitions such as the Biennales of Alexandria in 1955 and Venice in 1958.
Sailor and Cupids (1943) by Tsarouchis YannisNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
Ηis artistic creation included cooperative undertakings with the National Theater,the State Opera, Karolos Koun’s Art Theater, the Ancient Theater at Epidaurus, Covent Garden in London, the Dallas Civic Opera of Texas, the Theatre National Populaire of Paris and Teatro Olympico
He also worked with important Greek and foreign artists such as Maria Callas, Katina Paxinou, Alexis Minotis, Michael Kakoyannis, Jules Dassin and Franco Zeffirelli. During the period 1960-1962, moreover, he taught stage design at the Doxiadis School. He was also involved with book illustration while in the context of his broader interest in art, he wrote texts and reviews which were later published in books.
Sunrise in the Port of Chios (1965) by Tsarouchis YannisNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
In 1967, because of political developments in Greece, he went back to Paris and returned home once and for all in 1980. Two years later he launched the “Tsarouchis Foundation” housed in the artist’s house in Maroussi and containing both his works and those of other artists.
With a multiplicity of influences from Hellenistic and Byzantine art, the art of the Renaissance and more modern times, the work of Matisse, Theophilos, and Kontoglou as well as the figures of the Karaghiozis shadow puppets, he created a unique personal style.
He depicted landscapes, still lifes, nudes and allegorical scenes. But his interest was primarily focused on the human figure, creating isolated portraits, as well as scenes with sailors and soldiers, which make up a characteristic part of his work.
Sailor (1938) by Tsarouchis YannisNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
Like in this painting. We see a young sailor with rough, lower-class features is portrayed in the foreground, very close to the viewer.
He is seated on a chair with his arms crossed, looking straight ahead towards the viewer. The work has been drawn in a simplified manner, with swift and assured brushwork and scant colour.
Note the simplicity of means in rendering the facial features or the big hands. The white sailor’s suit has been painted with extraordinary craftsmanship. The diluted white colour allows the black preparation to show through, suggesting the folds and wrinkles on the sleeves.
Only four colours – black, white, ochre and grey – are used, yet the artist achieves an image that is full of life. In these works, Tsarouchis benefits from the teachings of both Matisse and folk art.
A retrospestive exhibition of his work was inaugurated in December 2009 in the Benaki Museum.
Texts: Marina Lampraki-Plaka, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, ex-Director, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Project leader: Efi Agathonikou, Head of Collections Department, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Images: Stavros Psiroukis & Thalia Kimpari, Photographic Studio, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Digital curation: Dr. Alexandros Teneketzis, Art Historian & Marina Tomazani, Art Historian, Curator, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
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