Byzantine Elegy

Maria Spentza was born in 1925 in Athens. From an early age she became interested in painting and took her first lessons from the painters F. Kachrimanis and D. Giannoukakis. She studied painting at the A.S.K.T. with G. During the period 1955-1957 he attended the courses of N. Hadjikyriakos-Ghika and D. Pikionis at the School of Architecture of the NTUA, while he also studied folk painting and hagiography in Mytilene. Her early works were in the context of figuration, which she abandoned and moved into the field of abstraction to create works that sometimes approach the style of abstract expressionism and sometimes refer to constructivism. Often a chromatic simplicity is detected, and then he creates abrasive compositions worked with plaster and acrylic paints. She presented her work in solo exhibitions she organized in Athens. She participated in many international group exhibitions, such as the Biennale of Youth (Paris, 1961) and Alexandria (1964), etc. He created murals, as well as mosaic or ceramic compositions in interior and exterior spaces (propylon and second floor peristyle in Zappeion, National Bank branch in Mykonos, etc.). At the same time, he taught at professional schools in Athens, designed sets and costumes, illustrated books, brochures, posters for the National Tourism Organization, etc. She was awarded an honorary diploma (1962) and a silver medal (1965) at the Paris Salon de l'Art Libre, and was awarded the bronze medal Arts - Sciences - Lettres (Paris, 1964). She died in 2011.