Artwork
Σχέδιο για το "Τοπίο του Πειραιά με άγαλμα"
Σχέδιο για το "Τοπίο του Πειραιά με άγαλμα" is an unspecified painting by the Surrealist artist Nikos Engonopoulos. It dates from 1942 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus.
About this work
That trick—called chiaroscuro—gives the scene a dreamy glow.
This sketch shows a quiet harbor scene. Piraeus’ docks appear under a pale sky. A lone statue stands in the distance. The water is flat. The buildings look like blocks.
Something feels off here. The space tilts a little. That’s on purpose. The artist mixes old Greek art with modern odd angles. It nods to Giorgio de Chirico’s strange city views.
Notice how the shadows stretch long and sharp. That trick—called chiaroscuro—gives the scene a dreamy glow.
Compare this to Engonopoulos, Nikos (1907).
Overview
The drawing titled “Landscape of Piraeus with a Statue” belongs to the artist’s early, first‑period output and functions as a study for a larger composition of the same name. Executed as a preparatory sketch, it captures a tranquil harbor scene in Piraeus, rendered with a muted palette and a slightly tilted spatial arrangement that hints at the artist’s emerging surrealist concerns.
Subject & Meaning
At the center of the composition a solitary, unclothed figure stands as a focal point, anchoring the otherwise expansive view of the docklands. The statue’s nakedness contrasts with its later, fully clothed depiction in a 1944 oil painting, suggesting a narrative of transformation or the layering of historical references within the work.
Technique & Style
The artist combines elements drawn from ancient Greek and Byzantine visual vocabularies, employing stylised forms and symbolic motifs reminiscent of those traditions. The treatment of light and shadow, with elongated, crisp edges, evokes the chiaroscuro technique and recalls the metaphysical cityscapes of Giorgio de Chirico, while the overall composition reflects a scenographic sensibility.
History & Provenance
Created during the artist’s first surrealist phase, the drawing served as a variant of the more extensive “Landscape of Piraeus” series. It remains documented as part of the early body of work that established the painter’s reputation for merging classical references with modernist experimentation.
Context
The work emerges at a time when Greek artists were actively engaging with European avant‑garde trends, particularly the metaphysical and surrealist movements. By juxtaposing traditional Greek iconography with distorted perspective, the drawing illustrates the broader cultural dialogue between national heritage and contemporary artistic currents.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nikos Engonopoulos was a Greek painter and poet. He is one of the most important members of "Generation of the '30s", as well as a major representative of the surrealist movement in Greece. His work as a writer also…
Museum
Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus
Continue through works from the same source collection.
