Μιχαήλ Παπαγεωργίου - Doris (λάδι σε καμβά 50 x 70 cm)
Michail-Papageorgiou--Doris_detail2
Michail-Papageorgiou--Doris_detail
Michail-Papageorgiou-Doris_epilogi dimosieuseon
Michail-Papageorgiou-Doris_epilogi-dimosieuseon-(3)

Michail Papageorgiou- Doris

Michail Papageorgiou- Doris CV

Doris was born in Athens in 1896 and died in Athens in 1987. His real name was Michail Papageorgiou. He was the brother of K. Papageorgiou, publisher of “Ios” magazine. His origin was from Dorida, Greece- the birthplace that influenced the artistic nickname by which he became famous (Dorida- Doris). At first he worked as a designer and caricaturist for various magazines of the time (1913-16). In 1919, he left for Paris where he studied in various French artists’ studios. In 1930 he returned to Athens and he was immediately established as an important modernist artist by the entirety of art critics. In his works of the middle-war period, under the influence of M. Vlaminck and R. Dufy he presents a style that combines expressionistic with decorative elements. He used to paint with an apprehensive curved brushstroke and with vigorous tonic fluctuations, concentrating light in few areas of his composition, and leaving large areas of middle tones and shadow.

He presented his work in individual exhibitions: “Parnassos”, 1930- “ELPA Hall”, 1934 – “Geo”, 1935 – “Zappion Megaron”, 1949 – “Zachariou”, 1950 – “Athanassios Mansion’s Arcade”, 1956 and others.

Available works

He also took part in group exhibitions: “Exposition d’un Groupe d’Artistes Hellenes de Paris”, Paris, 1926 – “Bienale di Venecia”, Venice, 1936 – “Pan-Hellenic”, 1948 and others.

He published the poetic collection “Eligmi” (Manoeuvres) (Athens, 1936), designed posters and illustrated books and magazines. His work can be found in the National Gallery (EPMAS-Athens), in public and private collections.

(Greek Artists Dictionary (1999), Melissa Editions, Volume 3, page 400)

Critical notes

1. “Estia” newspaper, June 23, 1955

Among all our painters Mr. Michail Doris- Papageorgiou is the most spirited and gifted with the greatest imagination. His palette is rich and his taste undoubtful.  His only flaw – a paradoxical contradiction – is his unquestionable ease, due to which he occasionally gets carried away to off-handedness. Nevertheless, even in that case, the spectator is charmed by the color and the artist’s sensitivity. In his exhibition in the ‘ADEL’ Hall, quite characteristic of his virtues are the paintings “Ballet d’Enfants” and the “Patras Carnival”. Through an orgiastic vortex of colors, they definitely depict the humorous ambience of carnival craze. In the same category are the elegant heads of the ‘Ballet Girls’ whereas in contrast there are the paintings “Peacefulness”, “Olive field” and “Plane-trees” bear the poetic quality and simplicity of the Hellenic landscape. Within this Hellenic framework is the ‘Monk with herbs’ can be found in contrast to the “Noble woman of Kastoria” that despite the beautiful colours of the local traditional costumes looks more like a charming Parisian woman posing with her friends dressed in Greek outfits. Regarding his “Amphitrite” with her radiant white horses she constitutes an imaginary vision similar to those born from the Greek azure blue sea foam of the waves. Colourful gypsies, beautiful flowers and vigorous racing horses, everlasting attractive, are in abundance in his work. In the acute Athenian summer the visitor’s eyes are overflowed with colours and freshness.

 

 

 

 

The painting no. 49 “A view from Koridalos” from the exhibition at the ELPA. Detail from the “Eleftheron Vima” newspaper, May 5, 1934 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The painting “The start of the races” from the exhibition at the ELPA. Detail from the “Proia” newspaper, May 4, 1934 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. by S. Doukas, Five Individual Exhibitions, “Iho tis Ellados” (Echo of Greece) newspaper, March 1, 1935

Mr. Doris Papageorgiou is exhibiting his work in Geo’s Art Gallery. Both the quantity and the quality of his new work reflect his unquestionable evolution, approaching a more solid and personal style. Its most prevailing feature is its sentimental eclecticism. From Museum art he assimilates the warmth of dark colour through the cold light. From impressionism he encompasses the freshness and color intensity and from modern painting the free brushstroke. His sentimentalism knows how to blend these contradictory principles in a very personal manner so to achieve a unique pictorial language. What he wants to express is the alluring quality of things. He aims at the visual pleasure of the senses. Being a painter both aesthetic and sensual, he manages to present to us sometimes with apparent ease, fresh the joy of matter. The unique blending of those two distinctive qualities is probably what is to be discovered in the future and eventually shape his evolving talent.

3. by Zah. Papantoniou, “Eleftheron Vima” newspaper, The Exhibition of  M. Papageorgiou, 22 February 1935

 Eleftheron Vima” newspaper, February 22, 1935 (detail)

Mr Papageorgiou’s style is a liquid- to call it that way- drawing, a diffused colour, without outline. Sometimes with its sensitivity this colour moves us and creates α feeling of reverie, it gives a delicate and polite sentiment… the works that catch our attention show that something lively and real passed in front of his eye and then in his sentiment. Therefore, there are such works that present an undeniable delicacy, a gentle tastefulness, a skilfulness of the painter to make the colour tender and the drawing even more a tender… the style that Mr Papageorgiou loves to repeat is: a dark landscape above where a glowing tone will suddenly shine, a white cloth, let’s say, or a jockey’s shirt, or a horse, or the water. He entrusts the whole painting in this opposition, in this surprise. The style that Mr Papageorgiou uses, leads to a pleasant result and reaches an aesthetic degree… There is a variety of conscious works that rise from the same excitement, the same refined sensitivity, and present the same tenderness of drawing and colour…

4. Critical notes by N. Alexiou, ‘To Vima’ newspaper, December 8, 1956

‘To Vima’ newspaper, December 8, 1956

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doris Papageorgiou exhibits oil paintings and pastels in the Athanasios Mansion’s Arcade. His present work brings along all those unique characteristics that gave it a distinctive place and was embraced in the past. The artist has fashioned his own, uniquely personal expressive means. So unique, that they cannot be imitated by others. This is because his work excludes the cool-tempered study, the systematic analysis and the organized elaboration of his subject, elements that can be passed on to others. The artist seems to be working in a feverish inspiration and his work brings along its consequences. He gets carried away by his inspiration and his innate talent without a deeper intellectual process of his subjects. And this is due to his spiritual nature that Doris (this is how he is known) is led to a poetic dream-world, imaginary most of the times (as we can see from his mythological subjects and his landscapes). His work is lyrical in its entity, based on the immediacy of sentiments and this is why his lyricism becomes eloquent without any further questioning. He draws skillfully and his bizarre but simple drawing helps him achieve harmonious movement in his work. Above all, he is a colourist. He manages to give solid, comforting colour entities which carry away the spectator with their freshness. His dream landscapes in the paintings no21, 22, and 25 are intentionally released from their earthly quality and his gypsies are unique because of their elegance and freshness. Nonetheless, all these distinctive qualities and his exquisite skill cannot be disciplined.

They are not subject to control and choice in order to develop and present a work equivalent to Doris’s qualities. In the past, he produced some paintings (sketches of horses, gypsies) which they were quite an accomplishment in the field while some of his current paintings can be described as colour sketches. His unique sense of colour, the freshness of his inspiration sometimes results in improvisation and haste which somehow banish the aesthetic results. His speed of execution would be an advantage for fresco-painting but is a disadvantage for studio-work. We believe that Doris has a great potential and art would be entitled of greater demands from his talent.

Research: Fotis K. Sotiropoulos

Αcknowledgements to Mrs. Elfride Papageorgiou.

[1] Source: “Kathimerini” newspaper, 7 Days, Tribute on sculpture “Sklavos”

[2] Source: Petros Koskinas, “70 years of Greek Advertisment 1870-1940”, published by  SELECTOR, page 36

[3] Chromolithograph poster of the Greek Tourist Organisation (EOT) Νο.114/5-1938 (Dimensions 1000 x 695 mm.). Signed ‘Doris’ down and left. Papachrysanthou printing company. Source: http://www.botsisauctions.com