Description
MATTHEOS CHRISTOU
Cypriot, b. 1956
Mattheos Christou was born in Limassol in 1956. He studied the art of painting at the School Fine Arts, Athens, under the guidance of teachers such as Mytaras, Mavroidis and Dekoulakos, some of the most important Greek painters of the 20th century.
He has had 11 solo exhibitions and has also exhibited his work in group exhibitions both in Limassol, Nicosia, Rome and London.
The curving shapes in the paintings of Mattheos Christou are free and spontaneous; there are no aggressive hard angles or sharp lines and for him their absence represents peace. is the forms in his paintings remind one of the serenely simplified sculptures of Brancusi. This sculptural approach with its economic colour palette of blue, red, ochre and brown acrylics, with painted black borders instead of frames combine to create his distinctive recognizable style. This is a style that he has retained throughout the years, although recently he introduced the colour green to convey optimism, and the eyes always depicted with a soulful Byzantine gaze, are often closed in contemplation or meditation.
Apart from his art, it is family relationships that are the most important factor in Mattheos Christou’s life. He constantly uses imagery relating to integrated family groups; they express his desire for us all to be united in peace – far beyond our own lives and family circles – rippling out across the seas harmoniously to include the universal family of Man in a world without conflict.
