Two new large-scale murals revive images from the period of the Greek Revolution on the walls of primary schools in Athens. “The young drummer of Messolonghi” overlooks the Acropolis from the 13th Elementary School of Athens in Mets, while the “Pantheon” of the Fighters of ’21 accompanies the students to the 133rd Elementary School, in Kypseli.
The two murals give color and breath to school buildings in Athens, thus completing the program of four public murals entitled “From the Roots to the Sky”, implemented by the Municipality of Athens and the Urban Act, with the participation of important of Street Art artists.
The mural at Mets Elementary School is inspired by the work of German painter Johann Georg Christian Perlberg entitled “The Young Drummer of Messolonghi” (or “The Drums of the War of Independence”). It was created by the street artist SAME84, with the aim of expressing the revolution, as the artist would like it to be even today: “A young man to give his rhythm”, the artist explains.
The “Pantheon” of the Fighters of ’21, in the elementary school of Kypseli, is a composition inspired by three heroic figures of the Struggle, Laskarina Bouboulina, Theodoros Kolokotronis and Konstantinos Kanaris, figures who inspired the street artist GOSPEL and are depicted in bright colors. The choice of Konstantinos Kanaris among them is not accidental, as he himself, who served as the country’s prime minister five times, lived for a period of his life in Kypseli. This particular mural, which pays homage to the hero of ’21, is framed with decorative elements that refer to his action, such as the cannon and the ship.
It is reminded that the first mural of the program “Culture is Athens” was painted by the Greek street artist KEZ at the 104th Primary School of Athens. He was inspired by Theofilos’s famous work “Erotokritos and Aretousa”. The second mural, which adorns the 18th Unified Lyceum of Athens, is by Leonidas Giannakopoulos, who was inspired by the lyrics of Andreas Kalvos, which are included in the ode “Eis Samon”.
The program of public murals of the Municipality of Athens also includes the mural-portrait of Lord Byron, which was completed in December by the street artist Cacao Rocks on the wall of a building at the junction of Tombazi and Leocharous streets in Psyrri. “With this move, we are creating a modern monument to philhellenism and honoring the personality of Lord Byron, who gave his life for Greece and freedom,” points out Cacao Rocks.
To create his mural, the artist used a style reminiscent of the painting of the modernists of the last century, leaving on the second level the documentary part of the composition and creating a pop painting version of the bust of Lord Byron.
The Municipality of Athens will continue to connect contemporary Art with the urban landscape, implementing a dynamic program of public murals in the new year as well. “Our goal is through this” open “to all Art form to give more color, elegance and quality to the public space, with emphasis not only on the center, but also on the neighborhoods of our city”, emphasizes in a statement the Mayor of Athens Costas Bakoyannis.
The program Culture is Athens is part of the three-year plan of the Municipality of Athens, with the aim of upgrading, promoting and integrating the cultural fabric of Athens, but also the practical support of artists and workers in the field of Culture. The design and supervision of the program, in the framework of which a total of seven murals were completed, was the art historian and Advisor to the Mayor of Athens in the field of Culture, Katerina Koskina.
This year, the mural program extends to private buildings, institutions and institutions. Already, the Municipality of Athens has sent a relevant invitation, through which it invites those who are interested, to propose their own wall for the creation of murals by sending the address of the property, the photo of the surface of the proposed wall, as well as their contact details to the email address : [email protected]
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