Υiannis Psychopedis ( el, Γιάννης Ψυχοπαίδης ; born 1945) is one of the main
Greek exponents of artistic Critical Realism,
an art movement that developed in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
after the political and social upheavals of 1968. The May 1968 student rebellions in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, the
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...
uprising in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, and the
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
establishing the
Greek military junta of 1967-1974 were catalysts for this group.
In the 1980s Psychopedis broached the subject matter of female
nudes. The use of colour pencils, which create a 'fuzzy' visual impression, became characteristic of this period of his work. At the end of the decade, Psychopedis turned his attention to pastels and oils, exploring bright contrasts of pure colour in his work "Hommage a Vincent" .
A major touring exhibition of his works was hosted in German museums (1980–81), while the Academy of Arts in
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
organised a large solo exhibition in 1981. Since 1992, Psychopedis lives and works mainly in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and is a professor at the
Athens School of Fine Arts.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Psychopedis, Yiannis
Greek painters
Living people
Academic staff of the Athens School of Fine Arts
Year of birth missing (living people)
Artists from Athens