Family Art

Georgia and Eleni Desylla

The children of artists often grow up in their shadow. Very few (Raphael excepted!) ever eclipse the parent and the awesome competition often means that the child will turn away from art altogether. So it is a rare thing indeed to have an exhibition of mother and daughter, both successful artists in their own rights yet proponents of vastly different styles. No doubt Georgia learned early to draw with a pencil as she is a consummate draughtsman. Her bold graphic work dominates this exhibition. The mother, Eleni Desylla has had the grace to step to the sides, with her narrative watercolours displayed on just one wall of the main space and also in the annex unusually formed out of an empty water cistern. Georgia's works on canvas are like architectural drawings injected with a twist of fantasy. A nod to M.C. Escher, Piranesi and de Chirico is evident but her palette highlighted with candy pink and cobalt blue, is refreshing and gives these strange moonlit cityscapes a young, contemporary feel. You get the impression she is a trained architect who cannot be bound by the practical constraints of that profession. In love with buildings, she sees no reason why they should not fill a canvas in the same way as a naked body more often does. 
 

Georgia's mother explores a different realm. Hers is the visual vocabulary that grew out of an earlier generation of Greek artists such as Hadzikiriakos Ghikas, Gounaropoulos and Parthenis. They explored the myths and folklore of Greece and flirted with a distinctive "naive style" that suited narratives and was borrowed from the rustic paintings found decorating  provincial homes. Eleni Desylla has absorbed all these influences into her narratives to become a superb illustrator. Her series of sepia ink and wash drawings illustrate the books of poems "Podia Pyros" on sale at the exhibition.

Who goes to these exhibition openings on Hydra, you wonder?...
 

Invitations are always sent out by the Town Hall to a hit list of people both in Hydra and Athens whom they know take an avid interest in cultural events in H ydra, whether it be the opening of the Koundouriotis Museum or an art exhibition such as this.  They consist of artists, critics, collectors, hotel owners,  the very rich and a group of people collectively described as "the culturiariko".  The last group are the admirers more than the admired, the ones who never did enough to warrant an exhibition of their own in any field but who like to be included nonetheless. They never buy anything but you can rely upon them to turn up at every opening suitably attired in slightly eccentric gear. A large number of this group are women "of a certain age".  Last night, there was a splendid buffet and bar laid on. A departure from the the usual plastic cup of warm wine and plate of crisps. There were also some new faces from France and Italy joining the old faithfuls. They stood out a mile as they really cared about the art and made many trips into the unbearably humid space to stare at the paintings and discuss them in detail. 
However these affairs are not invitation only and word soon spread of the buffet. I got a kick to see half a dozen Albanian adolescents taking it in turns to coolly saunter along the table, plate in hand, filling it with goodies before tearing off up the dark stairs under the gaze of Admiral Miaoulis.