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Theodoros Markellos 1925 — 2015 He was born on 23/04/1925 in Athens. Went to study at the Higher Academy of Arts in Athens he graduated in 1953 with a special award for his diploma thesis. He participated in several exhibitions as a result of which in 1954 he won a scholarship from the Spanish state for the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, where he studied for three years. In 1960 he was again awarded for his success with a scholarship by the Higher Academy of Arts in Athens. This time he was given the opportunity to continue his development at the Art School in Paris where Markellos spent four years. He participated in over 30 exhibitions in Greece, Spain, Italy and the United States. He took part in nine Greek and many group exhibitions and in eight international ones. He was awarded prizes from Russia and Italy. His pieces of art are part of the National Art Gallery, the Greek Parliament, the Municipal Gallery of Thessaloniki, in the governors of Thessaloniki, Museum Vorres, the Greek Embassy in Washington and other embassies. He has donated paintings to the Ministry of Culture. His works of art are held by banks and other public and private collections. Among the paintings of the artist, we can see landscapes from different corners of the world such as Spain /Madrid, Toledo, Segovia/, Paris, Florence, Venice, Netherlands, as well as in Greece with its numerous islands such as Mykonos, Syros, Santorini, etc. He paints also portraits, still lifes and abstracts. On 19.01.1999, a museum was opened in the name of the artist Theodoros Markellos in the town of Trikala /Meteora/ - MARKELLOU GALLERY with selected and donated paintings personally by the artist. The museum is located near the municipal folklore museum in a very well-restored old house and is open every day. Here are some reviews of foreign and Greek critics about the artist Theodoros Markellos. In 1960 a critic and director of the Museum Revoltella in Terieste /Italy/ wrote an article about Markellos in Italy: “Markellos is a sophisticated and spontaneous artist like the light. The controlled practice of the artist with understanding passes skillfully and quickly in all colour ranges with a rush of the brush. He catches precisely the atmosphere and changes in light of the country that he interprets. He has an alternative choice and a strong personal interpretation.” The critic Mariano Tomas wrote in the newspaper “Madrid” in the Spanish capital: “Markellos is very sunny in the colours and very brave in terms of light in his works without reaching the point of dazzling. He feels the landscape of Castile /Spain/ with more fervour than some of our Spanish artists”. The art critic Stelios Ludakis wrote about Markellos: “It is about a particularly interesting case that rests on /is based on/ the opportunities of a “Cézanne” expressionism with great expressive power. Markellos sculpts his world from a colour range that is not only an essential tool but also is the most important for expression. And this restless world is rough, energetic, and more precisely - continuously being born. The contrasting tones are strong, as always happens in the artistic expression that wants to depict nature, and also to interpret it. Therefore, the issue of the works of art is very personal experience of a sensitive artist, not just that he wants to capture what is around him, he gives his stamp. Of course over the years, Markellos has acquired apparent ease of formulation of topics he presents. His paintings radiate tranquility. Everything is displayed naturally and convincingly. He is exclusively skillful and expresses only the important without going into detail and finally achieves perfect range of colours.” Nikos Alexiou, a Greek historian and art critic wrote about the artist Theodoros Markellos the following: “In his artistic expression, Markellos is wise, generous, and structural. His works of art show the long-term training in Athens, Spain and France. Composition of colours and light reveal the depth of the fine mastery of the artist. He believes in the objective reality of life and the art and recreates it freely with ease. He accepts the existing world as the only true reality. This is typical for his works of art; however, he does not imitate that reality but rather clears it from the temporary and transitional to magnify the spiritual. And this ambition permeates all his paintings. Markellos wants to reveal the poetic dream of reality.” Thoughts of the artist Teodoros Markellos about the art: “Art is a continuation of our Self, so it is primarily necessary to achieve self-knowledge, in order to know who we are, to be able to express ourselves with our work of art. Art is continuity and consistency ... The progress /development/ is not circumventing of difficulties and unserious simplification of everything, it is neither a firework in which darkness becomes impenetrable after a temporary glow. Naturalness is the main element of the higher art. For me what determines the value of the work of art is one that stands the time. Creations that were created hundreds or thousands of years before us continue to be modern because they are able to withstand the test of time, regardless of the schools, trends and opinions ... Only the quality and inner life that the author is able to fill in the work of art with are relevant and important in order that a work of art becomes eternal.”