{"id":25655,"date":"2026-03-03T08:35:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/?p=25655"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:37:00","slug":"maria-filopoulou-figures-in-water-landscapes-of-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/maria-filopoulou-figures-in-water-landscapes-of-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"MARIA FILOPOULOU: Figures in Water, Landscapes of Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/b>Interview by Ira\u00a0Papapostolou<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For decades,\u00a0<\/span>Maria\u00a0Filopoulou<\/span><\/b>\u00a0has been exploring the human body immersed in water, creating luminous, suspended worlds where time dissolves and movement\u00a0becomes\u00a0almost 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Filopoulou\u2019s\u00a0work occupies a distinctive position within contemporary Greek painting, contributing decisively to modern Greek landscape and figurative art while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0an unmistakably personal visual language rooted in light,\u00a0color, and embodied experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conversation is conducted by\u00a0<\/span>Ira\u00a0Papapostolou<\/span><\/b>, 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,\u00a0Papapostolou\u00a0guides a thoughtful exploration of\u00a0Filopoulou\u2019s\u00a0artistic universe, tracing the themes of water, freedom, paradise, and the quiet metaphysics of painting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Swimmers<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u00b7 Water \u00b7 The Nude<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From the moment I began\u00a0observing\u00a0the naked body in water, I was fascinated by its free, dance-like, weightless movement, by the reflections of water on the body, and\u00a0by the way the\u00a0body becomes integrated within it. It was and\u00a0remains\u00a0a magical pictorial field that continues to captivate and inspire me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Human \u00b7 Nature \u00b7 Civilization<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe that humanity\u2019s relationship with water and nature, especially today, is deeply therapeutic.<\/span>
\nIn this \u201clost paradise,\u201d the civilized human being can rediscover wholeness and serenity. Personally, in nature\u2014and particularly in water\u2014I\u00a0encounter\u00a0happiness, 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Landscapes of Memory \u00b7 Utopia \u00b7 Paradise<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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?\u00a0And ultimately, is\u00a0there a personal paradise within your painting?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I paint my personal freedom, my lived paradises, happiness, relaxation, union with nature, and the sensuality bathers experience in water.\u00a0I believe that existence itself\u00a0is\u00a0a delicate balance rooted in the awareness that happy moments\u00a0are precious and must be recognized\u00a0and cherished.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I paint the boundaries of happiness, isolated from before and after. There is no time, only place. I focus on a timeless, pure time\u2014calm, intimate, and personal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Figurative Painting<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0encounter\u00a0strong figurative painting presented by some of the best galleries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Light \u00b7 Form \u00b7 Metaphysics<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Your handling of light, form, and\u00a0color\u00a0lends your work an almost metaphysical quality. What happens during the painting process when matter begins to transform into something more immaterial and internal?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What distinguishes my painting most is light and\u00a0color.<\/span>
\nThe subject is merely an occasion. I lose myself while painting,\u00a0attempting\u00a0to 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Greek Landscape \u00b7 Artistic References<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

You have contributed significantly to contemporary Greek landscape painting. Are there Greek or international artists you feel are in silent dialogue with your work?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you very much. There are many Greek and international artists with whom I feel a silent dialogue: Yannis\u00a0Tsarouchis? no\u2014actually Panayiotis\u00a0Tetsis, Michalis Oikonomou, Konstantinos\u00a0Altamouras, Claude Monet, Gerhard Richter, Peter Doig, David Hockney, Anselm Kiefer, among others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFreedom\u201d \u00b7 Commitment<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In your recent exhibition at the National Gallery, you chose the title \u201cFreedom.\u201d What does freedom mean to you today, and what form of commitment is necessary for true freedom in art and life?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Observing the works in my retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery annex in\u00a0Nafplio,\u00a0I truly felt that the title\u00a0<\/span>Freedom<\/span><\/i>\u00a0connects my entire artistic journey. Freedom is breath to me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through painting, I experience genuine freedom, which I\u00a0attempt\u00a0to express by creating \u201cnests\u201d\u2014protected spaces where everyone can feel\u00a0absolutely free. I feel free myself and invite the viewer to experience the same freedom, away from social conventions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The only form of commitment necessary for true freedom in art and life is respect for the rights of others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Travel \u00b7 Place \u00b7 Experience<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you travel, is there a place\u2014Greek or international\u2014that has marked you so deeply that it returns to your painting without conscious intention?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I love traveling all over the world, and especially throughout Greece.<\/span>
\nMy work is deeply influenced by the places I have experienced: my place of origin, Porto Heli; the Cyclades; Milos; Kleftiko;\u00a0Polyaigos;\u00a0Serifos; Patmos; Samothrace; the ancient Hierapolis in\u00a0Turkey,\u00a0Pamukkale, among others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are landscapes, images, and sensations that return to my painting\u00a0again and again, both consciously and unconsciously.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/h2>\n

Contemporary Art Scene \u00b7 The State<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

How do you experience today\u2019s visual arts reality in Greece? What is missing, and what could change to allow contemporary artists greater security and freedom?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many important things are happening in the visual arts today.<\/span>
\nWe have excellent galleries and museums where we can\u00a0encounter\u00a0outstanding painting: the National Gallery, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the\u00a0Goulandris\u00a0Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, as well as foundations and private collections.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What we need are internationally active Greek galleries\u2014spaces present in Athens, Paris, New York, and London\u2014that represent Greek artists. This would help immensely, although it requires significant financial resources.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, young artists today are inherently international. For greater freedom and security, what is essential is outward-looking openness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

The Cover<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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\u00a0ultimately need\u00a0to achieve greater well-being?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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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\u2014outside social conventions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Love has always been, and\u00a0remains, 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, we live amid cultural and economic crisis. The earth and nature help us rediscover our sense of wholeness and truth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Interview by Ira\u00a0Papapostolou\u00a0 For decades,\u00a0Maria\u00a0Filopoulou\u00a0has been exploring the human body immersed in water, creating luminous, suspended worlds where time dissolves and movement\u00a0becomes\u00a0almost 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.\u00a0 Filopoulou\u2019s\u00a0work occupies a distinctive position…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[126,122],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technes-grammata-en","category-politismos-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25658,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25655\/revisions\/25658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}