1964-1988. G. Vakirtzis wrote and reminisced

In 1966, G. Vakirtzis entrusted his original text (T.1) on Giant posters to Fr. Frantziskakis, the publisher-editor of the ZYGOS magazine. Thus, in the March 1966 issue (pp. 50-59) (T.2) reproductions of G. V’s Giant posters where presented, as well of his models for these works and of photos of cinema façades with G.V’s posters.

Title of the article: “Giant posters by George Vakirtzis”. Subtitle: «An exclusively Greek achievement: G. Vakirtzis’ Giant posters for the cinemas’ façades».

T.1

T.2

With K. Tzimoulis and P. Gravallos, G. Vakirtzis prepared the album Giant Posters of Cinema by George Vakirtzis, enriched with texts by E. Carboni, A. Prokopiou, A. Kondopoulos, Y. Moralis, P. Gravvalos (to see its cover and selected pages click here ).

In this volume, (28,5×24,5 cm), G. Vakirtzis presented a travelogue of the cinema Giant posters.

Its layout was innovative for that period and it comprised: Photoreproductions of his Giant posters, models and drawings for their preparation, photos from cinema façades with such posters and documentary texts. This album has been published also in English. Both publications have received wide press coverage.

Dimitris Pikionis (1887-1968) sent George Vakirtzis a text of his, an enthusiastic review which was not received in time to be included in the book. We are here reproducing the heretofore unpublished text.

During the period 1962-1974, G. Vakirtzis with Panagiotis Gravvalos and Kostas Tzimoulis prepared the Album Greek Shop Signs. During this time G. Vakirtzis “freezes” selectively the bread-winning brushwork of older painters and engraving makers by inventorying the advertising signs (i.e., the exterior shop signs) from all over Greece. Keeping, as always, in his photographic frame, a cinema theatre façade… In its Preface G.V. mentions memories of his youth with Theofilos (the most characteristic “naïf” painter of the interwar years).

In 1974, ZYGOS magazine (issue 10-11) published a text by N. Koundouros entitled “A River Called G. Vakirtzis” with the subtitle, “On the Occasion of Comments. Painting from a Photo-instantané”. The presentation of the photographic material that illustrates the text alludes to a sequence of film frames which culminates in his work Escape (Fig. 1). The work’s dimensions (187×320 cm), theme and style of execution bring to mind his Giant cinema posters. It had already been many years since he had stopped painting them, yet they were always in his heart…

Up until his death, G. Vakirtzis continues to observe, to be touched, and to compose “texts”, some of which are dated. At times (as late as in 1977) he refers explicitly to his Giant posters, and at others (again in 1977), he writes while still in the process of preparing the sketches or drawing the painting itself.
…Ever since, and no matter what my artistic endeavors were, I was no longer being judged for my works –their reception was filtered through the cinema posters…
On his Monologues (1978-1985) he notes:
…Scores of people stood still or were coming and going as they spoke or mumbledor stayed silent in a muted theater. For the most part they were silent. They were facing each other, or stood next to or across from one another. They rarely had their backs turned. An endless, flowing sequence…

G. Vakirtzis, From comic tragedy, tragic comedy, Νο. I, 7-2-’86. Pencil on paper, 123×183 cm, 1986.