THE ARTISTIC CREATION OF ANDREAS GOLFINOPOULOS IS A COMBINATION OF HUMAN FORM AND PHYSICAL SPACE. GEOMETRIC FORMS AND BIOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, LINEAR ELEMENTS AND CHROMATIC VALUES.

Andreas Golfinopoulos is an artist characterized by the consistency and continuity of his search. He has the ability to broaden and enrich his morphoplastic vocabulary with new achievements and personal formulas. This can be seen in any comparison of his older work with the latest one. This very work, presented in this exhibition, leaves no doubt about the consistency and the character of his search. The visitor can see the artist's course from the fine use of the geometric forms to the exploitation of the biomorphic characteristics and sense a conversation of forms, space of gravity to other elements, this talented artist is giving to his work new expressive dimensions. Now the center of gravity moves from the static to the moving elements, from the strictly geometric to biomorphic themes which in some of his distinctive efforts cooperate with or are opposed to each other, agree or disagree, always introducing a creative dialogue. But let's try to come closer to the artist, following the course of his work.

Andreas Golfinopoulos was born in Lykoporia Korinthias in 1943. He studied Painting in the Fine Arts School of Athens (1966-1970) with teachers N. Nikolaou and G. Moralis. He continued his studies in Sculpture and Ceramics in Middlesex Polytechnic in London (1970-1973). Quite early, he presented his work in individual as well as group exhibitions. Since 1975 he teaches design and color in the Interior Decoration Lab of the Athenian Technological Organization (Doxiades) and since 1977 he teaches in the School of Graphic Arts and Fine Arts Studies of T.E.I in Athens. Worth mentioning are his frescos made with a variety of materials and his decorations, entitled "probabilities" in the School of Logism Probabilities and Statistics of the University of Athens (Zografou). He has been especially involved in the tracing and the problems of the "Golden section". In 1981, invited by the Southwest Texas University, he gave a lecture on this topic. Usually, he works with glue, color powders and tempera on sacking, materials which serve better his search. He gives his work general titles, titles referring to the starting point of his search and the character of his formulas. One can remember his exhibition in 1985 with the general title "PETRINA EROTIKA" ("Stone Erotics") and the other one in 1989 entitled "ANADROMES" ("Retrospections"). These general elements make easier the study and follow up of his course and his achievements.

What is easily detected in Golfinopoulos´ painting is his relation to the achievements of N. Nikolaou and G. Moralis, as well as to his studies in Ceramics in England. The biomorphic themes are related to Nikolaou, the geometric to Moralis and the treatment of the surfaces in sections to his ceramic studies. However, in no case, one can say that the artist receives passively the elements of the achievements of his teachers. He always progresses to a personal creative conversation with them and reaches a purely personal morphoplastic dialect. A personal style in which the determinant role play his personal experience and contact with the physical space and the human being, which are the starting points of his personal formulas. At this point, it may be necessary to emphasize that essentially the artistic creation of Andreas Golfinopoulos is based on a personal combination of soft and hard themes, linear types and chromatic values, of form, space, logic and fantasy. Works like those of his older periods, known from his exhibition in 1985, are based almost absolutely on a geometric vocabulary. And this, because although in the "Stone Erotics" series he uses forms of the physical world - combinations of rocks which come close to each other - he moves them as well as the human form to purely geometric themes, which are indispensable not only of the chromatic values but of the insertion of the line as well. It may be that an important element of these works is the monumentalization of the forms supported by the unity of the color covering. In "Anadromes" ("Retrospections") presented in 1989, one can see a movement away from the optic reality and its shaped and geometric expression, as well as a more active combination of the chromatic values. Now, even if one detects some elements of the human form, such as a face is, it has been changed into an abstract geometric total. In this case, the increased use of linear elements and the verticality of the forms, make a special impression. In this way, a kind of a dialogue is introduced between the first and the second level, the color - always uniform - and the lines, which articulate the painting surface.

In the last two years 1991-1992, Andreas Golfinopoulos efforts in painting, as well as in plastic arts are moving towards a new artistic creation seen in his present exhibition. His work under the general title "Female cloud" is characterised by a new and personal combination of geometric forms and biomorphic themes on the female figure and especially the head. First of all, the space is a new element, purely non-realistic, rather surrealistic in which clouds leading to female heads are moving. Shaped heads with an idealistic tendency, lying over a uniform and rigorous horizontal level. Now, the character of the works is determined by the stillness of the first level and the movement of the second level - in other words by the lower and the upper part, the static and geometric as well as the kinetic and the biomorphic. By changing the features of the female face and the clouds, the artist tries and succeeds in projecting various situations, such as fear, sorrow, fatigue, ornamentation and other. This can be noted if one studies more attentively, some of the most characteristic works of this series, where one can see that besides the combination of stillness and movement of geometric and biomorphic elements, what helps the artist to complete the specific content of each presented themes is the synthesis. So, in "The Female Cloud Scared" it is not only the slightly open mouth which introduces into the content of the work but also the total organization with the prevailing horizontal themes. On the contrary, in "The Female Cloud Sorrowful" I, II, III, IV, the tone is given mostly by the vertical themes.

The morphoplastic elements with the differentiation of colors and always the antithesis between the lower static and the upper moving part, are the substantial elements which complete the expressive content of these works. In the series "The Female Cloud Wounded", the themes of the spear which is added passing trough the Female Cloud the enriching the painting surface with new expressive dimensions. Here, in the lower static horizontal level, where the moving biomorphic themes of the upper level respond, we have the active insertion of the spear which adds tension to the total. Active and dynamic diagonal theme the spear implies the character of the theme and even more, it adds to it a very dramatic content. In the series "The Female Cloud Wearied" the tone is given mainly by the ascending themes. So, despite the title, these works give a more optimistic content, the head appearing upraised, striving not submitting to fatigue. In "The female Cloud Decorated" the enriched colors, as well as the greater combination of curved themes, add clarity to the content of the theme. Here, the first level appears with more positive and expressive elements, something that is used to give emphasis to the character of the total.

In his plastic and ceramic creations, Golfinopoulos uses the same morphoplastic vocabulary. This can be clearly seen in the Female Cloud made of bronze (1992), where the lower part - a kind of base - is characterized by the static horizontal elements while the upper part - the human head - is characterized by moving and biomorphic elements. Here, it is also seen, that the artist uses elements from his older formulas since he inserts linear elements which can be seen in away in his curve-shaped themes. In his two candle holders I and II (1991), one can see the same elements while the tone is given not so much by the shaped head which can be considered as a base, but mainly by the vertical theme which implies certainty, security and optimism. Similar elements one can find in his ceramic fruit platter, where the female head, in combination with the curve-shaped themes of the fruit, is completed by the active voice of the colors. There is no doubt that the artist with his work in painting, plastic and ceramic, is moving towards a very personal direction, in which one can see a synopsis of his older search and application of new characteristics.

In his latest efforts Golfinopoulos seems to abandon or restrict the role of geometry and logic in order to give a greater emphasis to freedom and fantasy. The shapes are moving in a space of fantasy and they are not based any more on the static element but on the moving and dynamic ones, totals in which curve-shaped themes and baroque types are combined. The determining role played in his older efforts by the horizontal, vertical diagonal forms and linear elements, now has been taken by the curve-shaped extensive elements which broaden his work with new expressive characteristics. His colors always uniform and reserved are used to imply in a way the character of his work. Together with specificity of contour and the motion of the combination of forms, colors come to serve better the artist´s intentions. With his new efforts, Andreas Golfinopoulos proves that his achievements do not make him rest. On the contrary, he continues his search in order to be able to express his intentions in a more effective way. Passing from the power of logic and the emphasis on geometry to another direction in which fantasy has her own rights, he gives us work in a very personal expressive dialect which is distinguished by its possibilities. Being a very fine designer and a master of the expressive possibilities of color, he creates a poetic and magic world, which cannot leave the spectator indifferent. He creates painting and sculpture distinguished by originality, immediacy, inwardness and expressive power.



November 1992

CHRISANTHOS CHRISTOU
Professor of History of Art
Academian