Lot 95: Yannoulis Halepas Greek, 1851-1938 , Springtime plaster

inscribed and dated 1937 on the base plaster

length: 40cm., 15¾in. width: 16cm., 6¼in.

Athens, National Sculpture Gallery, Yiannoulis Halepas: Retrospective Exhibition, February - September 2007, no. 52

Marinos Kalligas, Yannoulis Halepas, sa vie et son oeuvre, Athens, 1972, no. 172, illustrated

Estate of the artist, Athens

Yannoulis Halepas was the son of a marble cutter and sculptor from Tinos. Born on an island with a considerable artistic tradition (for centuries, the island's villages had been home to the best craftsmen and marble sculptors in Greece), he left Tinos in 1869 to study sculpture at the School of Fine Arts in Athens under Leonidas Drossis. From 1873 to 1876 he continued his studies at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich under Max von Windmann, having obtained a scholarship from the religious foundation of the Annunciation of Tinos. Having won several medals for his work at the academy, he returned to Athens in 1876 and produced some highly acclaimed finished classicist marble sculptures, including Sleeping Girl of 1878 (Athens, First Cemetery, Tomb of Sophia Afentakis). In such works as this the classical references are evident in the treatment of anatomical detail and drapery, while in other works, such as Filostorgia of 1875 (Tinos, Museum of Tinian Artists) they are apparent in a more austere form.

In 1878, a nervous breakdown and subsequent suicide attempt heralded a prolonged mental illness which forced Halepas to interrupt his work until 1918, the year his mother died. After two stays in mental asylums, Halepas' mother had been looking after him at home, and made sure he would not take up working as a sculptor again, as she believed this was causing his mental distress.

Halepas's late works, created after his illness, established him as one of the most important sculptors of his generation. While his themes remained essentially the same, his style changed dramatically. He produced rough clay moulds and plaster casts rather than highly finished marbles, and became more interested in conveying the inner strength of works than the surface sculptural qualities, creating emotionally charged works of art, such as the present work.

Casts of Halepas's sculptures were brought to Athens from Tinos, and an exhibition of his work was held in 1925 at the Academy of Athens, which also awarded him the Arts Distinction in 1927. His isolation and illness prevented any real contact with contemporary artists and trends. Despite this, Halepas's romantic use of myth inspired a move towards Expressionism in Greek sculpture.

From 1930 until his death in 1938 Halepas lived with his niece and nephew in Athens. The last eight years of his life were the most prolific period of his artistic career. He executed numerous sculptures and drawings during this time. Only few of these survived, due in part to their fragility, but also because Halepas destroyed the majority of his late works himself.

The present work was executed in 1937, a year before Halepas's demise, and until recently remained in the collection of the Halepas family. Depicting a voluptuous nude holding a rose to her bosom in classical, sensual pose, Halepas created an allegory and celebration of spring and youth, which was in direct contrast to the closing of his cycle of life.