Page 22 - Collectanea

NANA ISAIA
b. 1934, Athens. d. 2003, Athens. Female Bather #1 and #2, 1976
For the double-sided piece Bather #1 and #2 (1976), Nana Isaia used delicate lines to define the structural elements of her composition that were then filled almost obsessively, with repetitive bold traces and strokes. The theme of the drawing has to do with summer time, laid back moments of human action; the big umbrella that provides shade and comfort during summer heat and the sun chair that is a definite prop for every bather. One easily observes that the paper used as the medium of the Bather #1 and #2 is directly from her sketch pad without any intention of cutting the upper edges and of beautifying the plane. The fact that the piece includes a dedication (“For Kimon / Love / Nana 76”) as part of its content can be suggestive of a visual letter; a carte-postale of sorts.
At a closer look, human existence, in these seemingly carefree drawings, seems rather detached from the action expected to be experienced. The figures appear to be aloof and completely self-absorbed as they are turned from the viewer’s gaze and lean motionless; they pose faceless, denying any active participation. At the same time the rendering of some elements, such us the umbrella, seem unfinished or reworked with no intention of erasing or fixing them, more like studies or pastime personal practice.
On the contrary, a great effort was made to fill certain parts of the composition with
the bold use of felt pen, almost like cross-hatching. These decisive lines, covering both objects and the human figures are structural to the formation of the drawing, and they establish a powerful correlation between the image they constitute and their constructive visual language. The idea of manipulating the structural potentialities of the drawing as an alternative way of writing is crucial here, especially if we consider the dual nature of Isaia’s artistic disciplines, as she practiced painting and writing almost simultaneously, until she gradually committed to writing and translating.
Kimon Friar, the Greek-American poet, editor, translator and promoter of Modern Greek poetry, recognized Isaia’s dynamic structural language as expressed in her paintings and poetry alike. Friar observed that the artist employed a certain distancing from herself,
so as to try to articulate the impending human psychological destructions, via the use of controlled compositions with a strong abstracted visual language.
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