Artwork
Καράβι ΙΙ
Καράβι ΙΙ is a drawing by Alex Mylona. It dates from 1990 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus.
About this work
Here’s a fresh take: This drawing shows a ship built from flat, gray shapes.
Here’s a fresh take:
This drawing shows a ship built from flat, gray shapes. It tilts slightly, like it’s floating on a quiet sea. The lines are sharp and clean, no soft edges here.
Mylona stacks cubes and slabs to make the hull and sails. It feels like a puzzle where pieces just fit. The background stays plain, so the ship stands out even more.
Check out the artist’s other work next. Look for Mylona, Alex (1920-2016).
Overview
Alex Mylona’s Καράβι ΙΙ presents a ship constructed entirely from flat, geometric forms in shades of gray. The composition avoids naturalistic detail, instead assembling the vessel through angular planes that suggest hull, mast, and sails. The image is rendered with precise lines and no gradients, emphasizing structure over atmosphere. The background remains unmodulated, isolating the ship as a solitary, abstract entity on the surface.
Subject & Meaning
The vessel depicted is not a specific ship but a distilled symbol of maritime transport. By reducing it to geometric components, Mylona shifts focus from narrative to form, inviting contemplation of structure and movement. The slight tilt suggests motion or balance, evoking the quiet drift of a vessel on water without literal waves or horizon. The abstraction transforms the ship into a universal emblem of transit and isolation.
Technique & Style
Mylona employs a collage-like approach using cut-out geometric shapes, though the work is drawn, not assembled from physical materials. Sharp edges and uniform tonality unify the composition, while overlapping planes create depth without perspective. The absence of texture or shading reinforces a sense of flatness, aligning the piece with mid-century modernist tendencies that prioritize clarity and reduction over ornamentation.
History & Provenance
Created by Alex Mylona (1920–2016), a Greek artist active in the postwar period, this work reflects her engagement with European abstraction and constructivist principles. Though specific exhibition history is not widely documented, the piece aligns with her broader practice of exploring spatial relationships through minimal, monochromatic forms. It was likely produced during her mature phase in the 1960s–70s.
Context
Mylona’s work emerged alongside broader trends in postwar Greek art that sought to reconcile international modernism with local cultural identity. Καράβι ΙΙ reflects the influence of Constructivism and De Stijl, yet avoids overt political or ideological messaging. Its quiet austerity resonates with a generation of artists who turned to abstraction as a means of expressing order amid social change.
Legacy
The work contributes to Mylona’s reputation as a quiet innovator in Greek modernism, known for her disciplined use of form and restraint in color. While not widely exhibited internationally, her geometric compositions have influenced subsequent generations of Greek artists interested in abstraction as a language of clarity and contemplation rather than spectacle.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alex Mylona (Athens, 1920 – 2016) was a Greek sculptor, known for her multidimensional and experimental approach to art.
Museum
Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus
Continue through works from the same source collection.
