Page 11 - Monograph Max

in our street. As a result, I was generously rewarded with a whole sack filled with vibrant and colorful glass marbles, becoming the proud owner of this de- lightful collection. Those marbles held a special place in my heart, and they brought me countless hours of joy and amusement as I played and cherished my newfound treasure.
As many years passed, my artistic journey led me to another enchanting world - the realm of egg tem- pera and acrylic colors. Actually, I stumbled upon the captivating artistry of Stamatis Skliris. His paintings exude a sense of effortless joy, akin to a smile or a gentle breath. He treads a path that seems impass- able yet radiant, stealing nuanced shades of blue or yellow to celebrate the triumph of joy over the deep- est pain, without diminishing its intensity. The lively hues of rose and lilac remain ever alive in his works. Despite the evident precision in his drawing, he skillfully weaves breadth into every aspect through the artful use of proportion and colors, avoiding any descent into rhetoric or hollow heroics.
Fr. Stamatis has a unique talent for capturing life in its purest form, unadorned and unmasked. In his paintings, Stamatis Skliris has a remarkable ability to immortalize the fleeting moments of life, much like the sand on the shore that endures beyond time. Just as Van Gogh masterfully portrayed worn shoes softly gleaming on a farmhouse doorstep, Skliris infuses his works with a similar poetic grace.
When I turned the pages of his art book for the first time in 1994, in Athens, I found myself immersed in the richness of the unknown, beholding his con- templative paintings. In the humblest of subjects— fruits, stones, grass, and stars alike—Stamatis ex- tends an invitation to an endless feast-day. To fully
relish it, one must learn the immediacy of spiritual touch, a privilege often reserved for painters. His art magnifies the beauty of the Creator, serving and praising Her in the simplest and most profound ways.
Skliris’ paintings embrace the essence of life it- self, inviting us to celebrate the splendor of existence and the boundless wonders of the natural world. Each stroke of his brush is a testament to the divine beauty that surrounds us, inspiring us to cherish and revere the miraculous creations of the Creator.
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In the contemporary era, where images domi-
nate and visibility is paramount, painting once again seeks to fulfill its traditional mission: to bridge the gap between the visible and the invisible, and to grasp the essence of things while preserving their physical form.
Though painting can sometimes seem redun- dant and anthropocentric, with unyielding static el- ements, it retains its significance by interpreting the spirit of the age, uncovering the unknown, and giv- ing form to the intangible. It imposes its grand and elegant visual ethos on the destiny of humankind.
For me, painting embodies an inspired naivety and a joy for life—a contemplative and sacred gaze. It transcends mere narrative fantasies, aiming to bring the dreamlike and invisible to life, following in the footsteps of Byzantine masters and ancient hagiog- raphers. These predecessors worked in a time before convenience and countered the prevailing superfi- cial aesthetics.
The essence of painting lies in the gaze—the communication and connection between the viewer
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