Funerary Composition III 1963

Yiannis Moralis made this painting with muted colors and decisive marks, as if building up layers of thought, each stroke a consideration. I can imagine Moralis in his studio, stepping back, squinting, maybe muttering to himself as the composition takes shape. The paint is applied with intention, the textures creating a surface that feels both deliberate and accidental, much like memory itself. The figures seem to emerge from a dreamscape, the upper figure holding up what looks like a veil, as if revealing or concealing the mysteries of life and death. The paint seems neither thick nor thin, but just right, like the right consistency of thought. This piece feels connected to a larger conversation about mortality, beauty, and the enduring power of the human form. He’s in dialogue with artists across time, each one grappling with the same eternal questions. Painting is an exchange of ideas, a continuous unfolding of possibilities.