Man is the perfect creation and woman is the most beautiful one, George Kotsonis, one of the most important Cypriot painters, tells the Source: Cyprus News Agency
zczc(CNA). Kotsonis whose work is anthropocentric, cubist, known for its female nude paintings, but also for its mosaics that adorn the Monastery of Agios Neophytos in Pafos and private collections.
Asked if a painter becomes or is born, Kotsonis says that, “talent is definitely very important, but if you do not cultivate talent and if you do not work, you do not become a painter.” There are, he notes, many examples of people who studied painting in Schools of Fine Arts and have not managed to make a single exhibition, because they do not work, but only teach in schools.
Kotsonis states that he has worked hard throughout his life. “Hard work so that you can create your own personal style, and everyone can see your work and say – without seeing the signature – this is George Kotsonis or another painter, is what matters,” he notes. Each painter has to create his own personal style and to do that he needs to work hard, he emphasises.
The method and talent of George Kotsonis are reflected in his work. The balance in its compositions, the intensity and the parallel simplicity of the colors create the feeling of a unique stylistic homogeneity. Asked if he is primarily a human-centered painter faithful to Cubism, Kotsonis says, “I prefer the human figure even though I have done landscapes and works of still life and so on. Because the human figure is the most perfect creation created by nature and through it you can express many emotions. “I preferred the human figure and especially the female beauty and beautiful women, because I believe it is the most beautiful creation of nature,” he confesses.
In relation to whether livelihood and art are compatible concepts or lead to compromises, Kotsonis says that the appropriate response from art lovers depends on the name and the work presented by each artist. “There is an art-loving public in Cyprus, there are people who are interested in Art and there are also people who invest in Art,” he adds. He also says that he managed to become known for his work, and how he can more easily sell his works of art than someone at the beginning of their career.
According to Kotsonis, the pandemic and the economic crisis have resulted in stagnation of artistic events. Many painters are afraid to hold exhibitions due to the fact that people are under pressure and find it difficult to spend on arts, adds the painter, who recalls a Chinese saying, according to which “when you have two loaves, give one and take a rose.” As he explains, in life you do not only need to eat, but you also need beauty, and the rose symbolises beauty. This crisis will pass and we will return as we were before, he points out.
As for young people who deal with Fine Arts, George Kotsonis calls on them not to lose their courage and to work, noting that the work will one day make them stand out. “The road to Art is uphill, but it is also very interesting,” he concludes.
Source: Cyprus News Agency