The Miracle of Greece

Life magazine cover on January 4, 1963

Those were more optimistic times...

black-on-white and white-on-black

Literally black-figure and white-figure vases in the window of a large department store in Athens as it appeared last month.

Ancient Greece in the East

Dimitris, a Grrek currently staying and working in China, is taking amazing photographs from his life in this foreign country. You may follow his photography HERE and HERE.

Dimitris was very generous to send me two of his photographs which serve as eloquent examples of consuming Greek antiquity in China.

A photo from Dimitris' gym - with Pegasus as its emblem.

This is from a cafe, and Dimitris suspects its portaying the well-known Archimedes in the bathroom incident.

Indeed one sees a nude guy wearing a Greek or Roman looking helmet enjoying his coffee. The moustache should tips the scales towards Greek!

Dimitris, thanks again very much for all this!

An appropriate Eurovision setting (or not)

Strange Ionian-looking Greek columns in the background for the Greek song in the Eurovision 2011 song contest in Germany.
There seems to be an emblem on the column capital but can't really make it out; something between an anthemium and two antithetic swans?

A Japanese Smoking Pegasus?

Poster for the Japanese "Peacock" cigarettes (1902)

(But why didn't they choose a peacock? Or: why did they choose a Pegasus?)

A fascinating house in Thessaloniki

A while back a significant photographer of contemporary Thessaloniki (his impressive photoblog is HERE) kindly contacted me to bring to my attention and offer me an amazing set of photographs of a house on 34 Euzonon Str. in Thessaloniki.

I kept them in store all this time, always hoping to do more justice to this impressive material through extensive research having the ambition to identify the artist and learn more about the owner, explore their source of inspiration and the story they're trying to tell.
Somehow I could never find the time, so I decided to post the pictures anyway for all of you to enjoy.



I limit my remarks to these points.

- The house bears an inscription under the pediment "K.I. ΜΗΤΤΑΣ 1920". K. Μήττας is the name of its owner who is said to have fought in the Macedonian Struggle.

- The curved pediment depicts a Gigantomacy involving an extensive number of persons - I think I counted 26 human heads. I could not detect an exact parallel for this depiction of the Gigantomacy, though similarities with the Pergamon Altar Gigantomachy may be discerned.

- Athena is the central figure of the scene with Apollo (?) to her right holding a bow. The bearded figure on lower right of Athena with arm raised maybe the Giant Typhoeus.

- In the corners of the pediment parts of chariots are portrayed. One the right-hand one a Macedonian star is visible.

- The artist is especially interested in depicting large spears with arrow-like heads.

- The whole scene seems to be made of gypsum.

Central part of pediment

Left part of pediment

Left corner of pediment

Right part of pediment

Right corner of pediment


******
On a niche below the wall with the pediment there is the gypsum statue of a female figure holding a fruit or ball. Such clay statues are rather common in niches of neoclassical houses, but I confess I am unable to identify this lady.

Please remember all photographs are here reproduced by kind permission of Arcades.

Leonidas in contemporary Athens

Detail

Athens, Piraeus Str.




Leonidas, a rather unlikely candidate for advertising Barbeques and Refrigerators.