Adamantios Diamantis, Αγωνία (Agonia) VII, 1969, oil on canvas
During the Easter break, I visited the A. G. Leventis Gallery in Cyprus where “Agonies”, a major permanent exhibition is on display. Diamantis is my favorite cypriot artist and “The ‘Agonies’ series explores the artist’s relationship with all the important events that marked his (and mine) homeland in the 20th century. In the political situation taking shape in Cyprus, Diamantis could see dangers lurking which he discerned would not allow a lasting peace on the island. With his life and art always having been irrevocably bound with the world and destiny of his native land, he felt a great anxiety which was constantly growing and which, inevitably, would be reflected – as an outlet or as an exorcism – in his work, especially in the ‘Agonies’ series. To Diamantis’ agonising about the future of his homeland and about his disconnection from his world of inspiration, other personal anxieties, both existential and artistic, were added.
In his ‘Agonies’, Diamantis attempted a major break with his artistic career up until then, by drastically renewing his pictorial vocabulary. In order to better serve the subject matter of his paintings, but also propelled by an ineffable anxiety to keep up with the spirit of his era, this artist, who had tried for years to fight the general current and to remain independent by resisting the new movements in art, was finally led to change his style of painting. He introduced expressionist vocabulary, bold symbolism in terms of form and colour and Cubist references, while he refused to be bound by realistic constraints.
In order to trace Diamantis’ journey towards the ‘Agonies’, the exhibition will feature the sketches and preliminary drawings for his final works. It will also examine the beginning of his artist exploration of the theme, starting from his school years, when in his copy of Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Burghers of Calais he tried to capture the anxiety of death. Diamantis had many such important ‘meetings’ with artists and works of art of international acclaim. When he was an art student in London, he explored another kind of anxiety in his copy of El Greco’s (Greek Dominikos Theotokopoulos) The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Francisco Goya’s ‘The Disasters of War’ and Emil Nolde also influenced him by introducing the idea of using landscape as a means to express the human soul. Wassily Kandinsky’s theories helped him develop a rhythmic drawing style which satisfied an inner need. In Diamantis’ work we can also see some thematic and stylistic similarities with his friend and fellow student Henry Moore. Most of all, it appears that in the creation of the ‘Agonies’ Diamantis was influenced by Picasso’s work, in particular Guernica. After being inspired by Diamantis’ large scale painting I moved to larger pieces myself. I liked the way the viewer feels like he/she is inside the painting, having a direct dialogue with all the figures.
Diamantis’ relationship with the Byzantine tradition is evident both on a thematic level – his maternity-themed paintings refer directly to the Virgin and Child – as well as in his stylistic development. An affinity can be seen in the ‘Agonies’ series: the scenes of horrified women running to protect their young children from imminent threat refer to the Byzantine illustrations of the Massacre of the Innocents.”
Adamantios Diamantis, The Planters, 1932-33, oil on canvas, 104 cm x 187 cm
“With Adamantios Diamantis (1900-1994) Cypriot art acquires the first of her fathers. A flaming scholar of classical styles, he formed his own language of painting dominated by the influence of composition and love for the tradition ancient and Byzantine of the region. In the plants, the cycle of everyday life, in which the artist recognizes the ideology of the ancient Greek myth and lifestyle, goes back to ritual. The form of the female figure of women, given with Doric vigor, it becomes one with the landscape”
Cyprus Tourism Organisation. (n.d.). Agonies – Diamantis. [online] Available at: http://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/events-3/icalrepeat.detail/2018/03/28/2736/-/agonies-diamantis [Accessed 19 Apr. 2018].
Europeana Collections. (n.d.). Europeana Collections. [online] Available at: https://www.europeana.eu/portal/en [Accessed 19 Apr. 2018].
Michalis Theodosiou 