MIKIS THEODORAKIS

THE WORTH OF MIKIS THEODORAKIS (2013)

Warlamis held in high esteem the musical creation and personality of Mikis Theodorakis and was connected to him by a deep and cordial relationship.

In 2008, perhaps sensing the coming crisis, he began a project dedicated to this great Greek patriot and world-renowned composer.

He collaborated closely with him for about four years and their collaboration created, in addition to the large collection of images referring to the life and work of Mikis Theodorakis, an original study of his symphonic music and video films that invest Theodorakis’ classical music with images, a new kind of art, a real revelation even for them, which facilitates the listening of “difficult” classical musical works by the uninitiated and is attributed to the scientific term awareness. A fine example of what the relationship between two great creators can bring and a counterbalance to the intellectual stagnation created by the so-called crisis in Greece.

he himself writes...

From the first moment I felt that I was dealing with a difficult subject, to trace the life of a contemporary of mine, Mikis Theodorakis, someone who, with an emotional bond, surpasses the known standards… My tracings want to touch this illuminated being, this invisible radiation emitted by his physical being. The body is transformed into a spiritual carrier of energy, the cells participate in an energetic contraction, which produces flashes of this inner transparency. This is the whole man, when the forces that imprison each of us in this particular earthly world can be released….

E. Warlamis

what did they say...

(when he first saw works from the collection in photographs) …What can I say to you, Makis. I have no words to tell you, you have not just moved me, I am completely exhausted. I have become dematerialized, I am flying. I will come flying over there. In any case, I thank you from the depths of my soul. You gave me a very great gift at a crucial moment in my life, well done. Eighty-four and a half… I will send you the CDs with the three daughters, Antigone, Electra and Medea. The mythology of these women will help you in this work of yours. They are three different women and they go through tragic events. In the events of all three women, the whole world philosophy is summarized, all the beauty and tragedy and the power of the ancient Greek spirit of which we want to be the successors. I did not learn music by listening to European music, but by listening to music from Byzantium for my music and songs, and the architecture of music, the harmony, that is, from the Parthenon and the ancient Greek theaters. Then I listened to the Europeans who were also influenced by them…

Warlamis, in any case, has, with his cycle for Theodorakis, highlighted the artistic contribution of one of the most important composers of the 20th century. If music can be “translated” into painting, then such an emotional undertaking can only succeed if the painter, on his part, possesses musical sensitivity. This affinity is seen in the perception of composition, which is applied to painting as well as to music.

Collection presentation

The collection was presented for the first time at the Lamia Exhibition Center in the Thermopylae area.

The second presentation takes place in Varlamis’ hometown of Veria, in an original way that transforms the city’s shopping center into a huge art exhibition, placing the paintings in the shop windows. It was an idea of Varlamis who wanted to create a close and original relationship between Art and the Market in this way.

The film that Varlamis created and in which he combined the musical work “Against the Sadducees” with his paintings, was presented at a special event held in 2013, at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, by “Odos Panos” publications.