By Tatiana der Parthogh
Nicosia’s A. G. Leventis Gallery hosts a temporary exhibition ‘Metamorphosis’ of major Greek artist Pericles Pantazis’ life in Belgium in the latter half of the 19th century, together with works by other important Belgian artists of the time.
Myrto Hatzaki, Curator of the Paris Collection of the A. G. Leventis Gallery said: “When we think about Impressionism, the first place that comes to mind is Paris, France.”
France indeed produced masters of this art movement. However, in 1880, a home-grown form of Impressionism was established in Belgium with its own original style.
Belgian Impressionists were a different breed of artists who followed a similar principle to the French, as both sought ways to break away from the tradition of Romanticism and Neoclassicism.
Belgian Impressionism made a breakthrough in 1886 when the French-Belgian artist collective known as ‘Les XX’, began to exhibit throughout the country.
Building on the reputation of the French, Belgian impressionists were distinctive in their own right.
Artists Théo van Rysselberghe and Emile Claus emerged with a unique style described as “Luminism”, a movement which found its way to the shores of America influencing a new generation of artists across the Atlantic.
Followers of this style and movement include Juliette Wytsman, whose works are featured in Metamorphosis.
Though he died young, Pantazis gained his reputation in Belgium where he joined the Avant-Garde movement and surrounded himself with artists such as Guillaume Vogels, who became a life-long friend and introduced him to the circles of Édouard Manet.
Lead curator and art historian Constantine Economides argues that had Pantazis lived longer, he may have mastered his skill to produce a more sophisticated level of art, placing him among those considered to be the fathers of Belgian Impressionism today.
Athens-born Pantazis died of chronic tuberculosis at the age of 34 in 1884 in Brussels.
A. G. Leventis Gallery aims to bridge the gap between Pantazis and the Belgian Impressionist movement which reached the palettes of pioneering artists who paved the way for post-impressionist movements throughout Europe.
It describes the exhibition as “a retrospective to Belgian Impressionists and the group which, in their attempt to reclaim some of the limelight from their more famous French counterparts, have discovered unique ways in handling light, emphasising on ‘sensation’ rather than ‘impression’.”
The exhibition will feature 110 never before seen works from various collections in Belgium, Greece and Cyprus.
It reveals an interesting and important correlation between Pantazis’ work, Realism and pre-Impressionist art, which sets Belgian Impressionists apart from movements emerging in France, the Netherlands, Britain and America.
‘Metamorphosis: Belgian Art 1860-1930’ at the A. G. Leventis Gallery in Nicosia, from October 31 to January 27, 2020. Free guided tours available on Saturday 2, 9 and 30 November and on Wednesday 20 November. Reservation for the free tour is necessary. Call 22668838 / [email protected]
