Many studies have shown that the fine arts can work therapeutically for the individual and in many cases they are recommended as an alternative treatment. The abundant light, the rich colour and the beautiful shapes in works of visual art and indeed representational abstraction set the mood of their viewer. A pleasant picture makes the viewer forget about worldly problems and travel to the transcendental world that the artist envisioned on his behalf. Thus, he discovers an optimistic perspective on the things of life that inspires him with strength, hope, bravery and courage.

The painter Andreas Golfinopoulos presents "Summertime", a new series of works that is in line with the positive energy of the summer especially in Greece – love, eros, nature, the relativity of people and things. Odysseus Elytis, the praiser par’ excellence of life, joy, light and colours, tackles a similar theme in his poetry. In the preface to the collection The trills of love of 1973 he writes: "Behind every exaltation, every passion, a guitar awaits ready to take the words and travel them from lips to lips. That's not little. It is the joy of giving joy to others, it is what keeps us going in life." In the present works, the protagonists are quintessentially curvaceous women, who harmonise with nature or enter into a dialogue with their partner or with an object of focus – letter, bird, sail, ball.

Growing up in Lykoporia, Corinth, Golfinopoulos became acquainted with nature’s top aesthetic qualities – harmony and beauty. Subsequently, in his studies he discovered and researched the golden ratio (since the 20th century, the golden ratio is represented by the Greek letter "φ", from the initial of the name of the sculptor Pheidias, who is said to have been the first to use it in his works), the 1:1.6 ratio of the smallest to the largest side, which is aesthetically pleasing. He applied the golden ratio to his works and taught it to his students. The golden ratio is a dominant concern throughout the visual artist's career. This is why it is transparently presented in his works with lines and/or writings that form outlines or contents. Each element is carefully measured against this ratio but also its own relation to the other elements. This results in a good aesthetic result in the organisation and composition of the work that satisfies both the eye and the mind at the same time.

The technique of the works is collage, an artistic composition of various materials stuck together. A recent find, inspired by life itself, are personal documents from medical examinations, which began to appear incrementally in the mature everyday life of the artist. The tendency for personal objects to represent the self made its appearance in the Dadaist works of Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) who, from 1918, created compositions with all kinds of objects that he collected himself. He famously coined the term “Mertz” from the German word “Komerzbank” that appeared in one of his early collages, to describe assemblage works based on private waste, including personal items of sentimental value. This tendency gained increasing resonance to its culmination in the neorealist works of Arman Fernandez (1928-2005), especially those with the general French title of "Pubelles" (Trash), selected refuse of a person that he exhibited inside a glass case as his portrait. In the case of Golfinopoulos, these documents are autobiographical and scientifically document the state of his life. Entering the realm of uselessness, after having served their purpose, the artist transforms them into artistic material. He dyes them with pigments and uses them appropriately either in the foreground or as a background. In some cases the cross in the hospital logo marks the location of the eye on the depicted person or the nipples on her chest.

With these works, Golfinopoulos instinctively pokes fun at the delicate state of his health and optimistically looks with a humorous mood at the uncertain future that fate has in store.



Athens, 2023



1. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Erotic, 9/2021. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 50 x 70 cm.

2. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Love, 10/2021. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 50 x 70 cm.

3. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Apparition, 11/2021. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 50 x 70 cm.

4. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Looking in the Mirror, 12/2021. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 50 x 70 cm.

5. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Couple on the Beach, 1/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm.

6. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Promise, 2/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm.

7. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Agreement, 3/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm.

8. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Tourist, 4/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm.

9. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). With the back to the wind, 5/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm.

10. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Waiting for the Sailor, 6/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 70 x 50 cm.

11. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Conversation, 8/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 86 x 60 cm.

12. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). I saw a Pair of Dolphins, 9/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 86 x 60 cm.

13. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). The Message has arrived, 10/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 86 x 60 cm.

14. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Musing on Sailors, 11/2022. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 86 x 60 cm.

15. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Ready to Swim, 2/2023. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 86 x 60 cm.

16. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Loves Nudism, 5/2023. Acrylic and collage on cardboard, 86 x 60 cm.

17. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). After the Bath, 7/2023. Acrylic and collage on plywood, 100 x 75 cm.

18. Andreas Golfinopoulos (Lykoporia, b. 1943). Teenage Apocalypse, 9/2023. Acrylic and collage on plywood, 100 x 75 cm.