Greek artist Alekos Fassianos died Sunday at the age of 86 in his home after a long illness, the state news agency ANA reported.
Born on December 16, 1935, Fassianos studied violin at the Athens Conservatory and painted at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1955 to 1960.
Shortly after his first exhibition, he moved from his hometown of Athens to Paris after obtaining a French state scholarship to study lithography at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (National School of Fine Arts).
He ended up staying in the French capital for the next 35 years.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Rembrandt’s legendary ‘Night Watch’
The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum has carefully examined Rembrandt’s most famous painting over the last two years using the latest technology. It turned out that Rembrandt first made a sketch on the canvas, painted over it, and made several changes while he was going on. “We’ve discovered the ‘Night Watch’, ‘said director Taco Dibbits, calling it a’ breakthrough. ‘
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Vermeer and a canceled cupid
People know Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl reads a letter by an open window” (ca. 1657-1659) in her version on the left. Two years ago, researchers discovered a naked amorphous figure that had been painted over. The painting, Cupid and All, is on display in the Dresden exhibition “Johannes Vermeer. On Reflection” in its original state until January 2, 2022.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Jan van Eyck’s mysterious lamb
Last year, people were surprised by a discovery in the Ghent altarpiece, which was made during the restoration work. The Flemish painter Jan van Eyck (ca. 1390 to 1441) had not painted the lamb as shown on the left, but in fact as seen on the right, with a narrow snout and a piercing, direct human-like gaze. The revealed original was mocked on social media.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Cover them in Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’
The version we see of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” (1534-1541) in the Sistine Chapel does not correspond to the original. The figures he painted around Jesus Christ were stark naked. His contemporaries felt it was obscene, so they gave his student Daniele da Volterra the task of adding pants to the naked figures. He went down in history as the “braghettone” (pants painter).
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Van Gogh’s wrestlers painted with flowers
Vincent van Gogh painted over many of his paintings. The money was too scarce to keep buying new canvases. In 1886 he painted “Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses” over two half-naked wrestlers he had created at the Antwerp Art Academy (right). It was not until 2012 that the flower painting was clearly attributed to van Gogh.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Portrait of a woman, gorge and lush vegetation
More paintings by van Gogh: The painting “Wild Vegetation” (bottom left) was discovered under “Ravine” (top left). The two paintings were created four months apart. In 2008, researchers used special X-ray technology to find a portrait of a woman under his painting “Grasgrond” (right). They were able to reconstruct the dark portrait in great detail.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Picasso: Stick to the lines
Sparingly, Pablo Picasso once used a canvas for “La Misereuse acroupie” (1902), which had already been painted on by an unknown artist. In 2018, a Canadian research team discovered a landscape and a hand under the woman with the rug. Picasso even used the existing lines for his painting.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Max Pechstein: Hide what you do not like
For almost a century, Max Pechstein’s “Lady with Hat” (1910) was hidden behind a flower still life. Pechstein probably canceled the original with its bright colors because he was not happy with it. He preferred to hide what is today perceived as expressionism and considered worthy of protection.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Giacometti: Self-doubt about his work
The Swiss painter and sculptor Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) repainted his paintings again and again, not only for lack of money, but because he was dissatisfied with his work. When he painted, he cursed, apologized, and started all over again. It took him 18 days to paint the portrait of his friend James Lord.
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From Rembrandt to Picasso: Works of Art Painted Over
Georg Baselitz: An invisible painting
“I dream of painting an invisible picture,” said Georg Baselitz in 2013. But how? By making it disappear under layers of black paint. “Joseph Beuys simply placed the painting with his back to the viewer and preserved the mystery. That’s pretty much how I imagine it,” he said – a completely different approach than his colleagues’ for centuries.
Author: Bettina Baumann
Influenced by Greek mythology
Although some of his early paintings were in a modern style, he also drew much inspiration from popular art and ancient Greek mythology. He was also excited by Byzantine themes. In addition to painting and lithography, he also illustrated books, drew costumes for theater performances and created sculptures.
Described by some as Picasso of Greece, Fassiano’s was highly praised, and many of his works adorn public spaces, including a mural on a metro station in the Greek capital.
In France he was appointed Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters and officer of the Legion of Honor. His works have been exhibited in Europe and Latin America. His last major exhibition was a 2004 retrospective in Athens.
Precious heritage
“All of Fassianos’ work, the colors that filled his canvases, the multidimensional shapes that dominated his paintings, radiate Greece,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Fassianos “always balanced between realism and abstraction” and that he “leaves us a valuable legacy”.
Fassianos leaves behind his wife, Mariza, and two daughters.
dig / wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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