Untitled 1990

Dimitris Mytaras made this unnamed painting with what looks like oil or acrylic paint, and a lot of energy. Look at how he layers the paint, almost sketching with it in bold strokes of red and blue, on top of a vivid red ground. Up close, you can really see the physicality of the paint. Thick swipes build up the face of the main figure, while thinner washes define the reclining figure above. There's a tension between the careful modelling of the faces and the almost chaotic energy of the surrounding lines. It's like he's grappling with how to represent these figures, caught between observation and pure expression. The way he uses colour, especially that intense red, reminds me a bit of Matisse, but with a more anxious, agitated edge. Mytaras isn't just depicting a scene, he's inviting us into his process, his struggle to make sense of what he sees and feels.