28 x 31
Original Artworks
Acrylic on Canvas
The self-taught, New York- based painter Michael Papakalododoukas was born in the capital of the Dodecanese, Rhodes in 1963.
Papakalodoukas is inspired by nature, man and fictional worlds. Art books are his main and constant source of artistic education. This way, he feels as if he becomes a student of great masters. The artist has been a successful multifarious entrepreneur for many years. However, heavy work load and art did not make a good match. Papakalodoukas paints only following after a profound inner necessity, a powerful artistic drive.
His early paintings were mainly black and white sketches. Then, he experimented with oil paints, and, for a while now, he uses exclusively acrylic paints, which better suit his artistic vision. The artist is not really into the conventional canvas-and-easel. He prefers canvas to allow for the free expansion of his material on flat unexpected spaces such as tables, so as to have composition deploy in a natural way, as envisioned by the painter. Artistic process is for Papakalodoukas a labor-like torment of doubt and redemption. He often portrays scenes of violence forced upon the weak by the strong and mighty, in a manner suggesting protest against all irrational application of crude force. The way in which he uses crude worn-out brushes is expressionistic. His look on things is poignant and penetrating into the bedrock of ‘reality’, seeking ‘truth’.
Papakalodoukas’ subject matter was initially landscapes of his native island of Rhodes, and also familiar faces of friends, family and even strangers. His all-time favorite theme, which fascinates him the most, is the human body. After living in New York for the past three years, he still creates nostalgic pieces of his mother land. Living by the city, his latest work is inspired by how multicultural his new home is; That is how the multicolored people paintings were created- says the artist; Almost chaotic, but cohesive. Living in harmony.
Papakalodoukas has participated in several group exhibitions and some of his works are exhibited in prominent places such as the Greek Parliament, the Presidential Residence and The Museum of Modern Art of the Municipality of Rhodes. Many works have also been acquired by private collectors throughout the world.
2017-2018-2019
Works inspired by Papakalodoukas’s life in New York and homesickness for his country, Greece.
