Konstantinos Maleas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Konstantinos Maleas Κωνσταντίνος Μαλέας

Born	1879 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died	1928 Athens, Greece
Occupation	painter

Konstantinos Maleas (Κωνσταντίνος Μαλέας) was born in Constantinople in 1879 and passed away in Athens in 1928. He was one of the most important Greek painters of the 20th century. His style is known as Post-impressionism. Many people consider him, along with Konstantinos Parthenis, to be one of Greece's most important modern artists.

A Young Artist's Journey
Returning to Greece
More Than Just Painting
Maleas's Art Style
Gallery
See also

A Young Artist's Journey

Maleas was born and grew up in Constantinople, which is far from the main art scene in Athens. Because of this, he wasn't influenced by the "Munich School" of art. This style was very popular in Athens at the time.

He studied at the Phanar Greek Orthodox College. In 1901, when he was 23, he moved to Paris, France. He first planned to study architecture. However, he soon decided to study painting instead. He learned from the painter Henri Martin until 1908.

Returning to Greece

In 1913, Maleas returned to Greece. He first lived in Thessaloniki and then settled in Athens. In 1917, he helped create a new art group called Ομάδα Τέχνη (Art Group). This group was very modern and brought new international art ideas to Greece.

Maleas traveled a lot. He visited many places in Greece, Western Europe, Palestine, and Egypt. These trips gave him many ideas for his famous landscape paintings.

More Than Just Painting

Besides painting, Maleas was also interested in updating the Greek language. He was friends with important thinkers like Glenos, Delmouzos, and Triantafylidis. He even drew pictures for the first alphabet book written in the new, modern Greek language, called Demotiki.

He also wrote articles for newspapers like Nouma and Elefthero Vima. He contributed to several art journals too. The Greek Government recognized his amazing work. They gave him the 'Highest Acknowledgement of Letters and Arts' award.

Maleas's Art Style

Maleas's paintings were influenced by famous artists like Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh. He was also inspired by art movements such as Symbolism, impressionism, and fauvism.

His paintings are known for their very light and bright colors. He used large brushstrokes, which was a new and exciting style for Athenian art at the time. Many art critics didn't like his work at first. However, one critic named Fotos Politis saw the true value in Maleas's paintings. He even told young artists to learn from Maleas's style.

Today, Maleas is still one of the most popular modern Greek artists. His works are shown in the National Gallery of Athens and other places.