Interview by Ira Papapostolou 

For decades, Maria Filopoulou has been exploring the human body immersed in water, creating luminous, suspended worlds where time dissolves and movement becomes almost weightless. Her painting unfolds at the intersection of figurative tradition and inner freedom, drawing from lived places, memory, light, and the primordial bond between human presence and nature. 

Filopoulou’s work occupies a distinctive position within contemporary Greek painting, contributing decisively to modern Greek landscape and figurative art while maintaining an unmistakably personal visual language rooted in light, color, and embodied experience. 

The conversation is conducted by Ira Papapostolou, art historian and author, whose work focuses on contemporary Greek art, visual culture, and the dialogue between artistic practice, history, and theory. Through this interview, Papapostolou guides a thoughtful exploration of Filopoulou’s artistic universe, tracing the themes of water, freedom, paradise, and the quiet metaphysics of painting. 

Swimmers · Water · The Nude 

The theme of bathers has occupied you for many years and resonates with a long artistic tradition. Do you remember when you first felt that water and the human body became a pictorial field for you, rather than merely a subject? What continues to challenge and inspire you about water and the nude? 

From the moment I began observing the naked body in water, I was fascinated by its free, dance-like, weightless movement, by the reflections of water on the body, and by the way the body becomes integrated within it. It was and remains a magical pictorial field that continues to captivate and inspire me. 

Human · Nature · Civilization 

In your work, human beings and nature seem to coexist in a fragile balance. How do you perceive today the relationship between our civilization and nature, and how is this reflected in your personal experience and painting practice? 

I believe that humanity’s relationship with water and nature, especially today, is deeply therapeutic.
In this “lost paradise,” the civilized human being can rediscover wholeness and serenity. Personally, in nature—and particularly in water—I encounter happiness, calm, freedom, and purification. This is the feeling I want to convey through my work, as an antidote to an era marked by cultural and economic crisis. 

Landscapes of Memory · Utopia · Paradise 

Your landscapes sometimes feel like places we have already lived, and at other times like places we long to exist. Are they landscapes of memory or forms of utopia? And ultimately, is there a personal paradise within your painting? 

I paint my personal freedom, my lived paradises, happiness, relaxation, union with nature, and the sensuality bathers experience in water. I believe that existence itself is a delicate balance rooted in the awareness that happy moments are precious and must be recognized and cherished. 

I paint the boundaries of happiness, isolated from before and after. There is no time, only place. I focus on a timeless, pure time—calm, intimate, and personal. 

Figurative Painting 

In an era where images are constantly deconstructed, you insist on figurative painting. What does this medium allow you to express about your world that could not be said otherwise? 

I began working in figurative painting. This is how I express myself; it allows me to reveal my truth, to deepen my exploration, and to communicate with others. 

In the 1980s, when I was studying at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, there was strong opposition to figurative painting. Recently, however, when I visited London for Frieze, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter strong figurative painting presented by some of the best galleries. 

Light · Form · Metaphysics 

Your handling of light, form, and color lends your work an almost metaphysical quality. What happens during the painting process when matter begins to transform into something more immaterial and internal? 

What distinguishes my painting most is light and color.
The subject is merely an occasion. I lose myself while painting, attempting to construct my personal paradise and to invite the viewer inside it. Through work and concentration, matter transforms into something immaterial and inward. This spiritual process is the magic of painting. 

Greek Landscape · Artistic References 

You have contributed significantly to contemporary Greek landscape painting. Are there Greek or international artists you feel are in silent dialogue with your work? 

Thank you very much. There are many Greek and international artists with whom I feel a silent dialogue: Yannis Tsarouchis? no—actually Panayiotis Tetsis, Michalis Oikonomou, Konstantinos Altamouras, Claude Monet, Gerhard Richter, Peter Doig, David Hockney, Anselm Kiefer, among others. 

“Freedom” · Commitment 

In your recent exhibition at the National Gallery, you chose the title “Freedom.” What does freedom mean to you today, and what form of commitment is necessary for true freedom in art and life? 

Observing the works in my retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery annex in Nafplio, I truly felt that the title Freedom connects my entire artistic journey. Freedom is breath to me. 

Through painting, I experience genuine freedom, which I attempt to express by creating “nests”—protected spaces where everyone can feel absolutely free. I feel free myself and invite the viewer to experience the same freedom, away from social conventions. 

The only form of commitment necessary for true freedom in art and life is respect for the rights of others. 

Travel · Place · Experience 

When you travel, is there a place—Greek or international—that has marked you so deeply that it returns to your painting without conscious intention? 

I love traveling all over the world, and especially throughout Greece.
My work is deeply influenced by the places I have experienced: my place of origin, Porto Heli; the Cyclades; Milos; Kleftiko; Polyaigos; Serifos; Patmos; Samothrace; the ancient Hierapolis in Turkey, Pamukkale, among others. 

These are landscapes, images, and sensations that return to my painting again and again, both consciously and unconsciously. 

Contemporary Art Scene · The State 

How do you experience today’s visual arts reality in Greece? What is missing, and what could change to allow contemporary artists greater security and freedom? 

Many important things are happening in the visual arts today.
We have excellent galleries and museums where we can encounter outstanding painting: the National Gallery, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Goulandris Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, as well as foundations and private collections. 

What we need are internationally active Greek galleries—spaces present in Athens, Paris, New York, and London—that represent Greek artists. This would help immensely, although it requires significant financial resources. 

That said, young artists today are inherently international. For greater freedom and security, what is essential is outward-looking openness. 

 

The Cover 

The work we selected for the magazine cover resonates strongly with the themes explored in this issue. What is your view on love, land, and culture today? How important are these concepts, and what does humanity ultimately need to achieve greater well-being?

 

The couple in water, the powerful light, freedom, relaxation, the loss of gravity, immersion in nature, joy, and the sensuality bathers experience beneath the surface—outside social conventions. 

Love has always been, and remains, a driving force in our lives, just like culture. These concepts are precious in every era and help humanity achieve greater well-being and creativity, especially when people feel safe. 

Today, we live amid cultural and economic crisis. The earth and nature help us rediscover our sense of wholeness and truth.