Landscape from Delphi 1945

Spyros Papaloukas made this landscape of Delphi using strokes of muted blues, yellows, and oranges that almost feel sun-baked. Looking at this painting, I think about the struggle of capturing a place, like Delphi, that’s so saturated with history. It must have been a real challenge. The paint is applied in these choppy, gestural marks, like he’s trying to grab the light as it shifts across the mountains. It makes me wonder if he was trying to pin down something that’s always moving, always changing, or always eluding him. There's this one spot of intense yellow in the foreground, like a little burst of hope. It's surrounded by all these cooler tones, which makes it feel like the landscape is both inviting and remote. What I love about painting, and what Papaloukas shows us here, is that it’s not just about what you see, but also about how you feel and remember. Painting allows for a space of ambiguity, a place where you can wander and wonder without needing to have all the answers.