Theofilos (c.1860-1934)
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Theofilos (c. 1860-1934), artistic pseudonym of Theofilos Hadjimichail, Greek painter. In the Latin alphabet, the name can also be also rendered as Theophilos. Theofilos was born in Mytilene, on the Greek island of Lesvos, most likely in 1860. A self-taught journeyman painter in the popular or naive style, he died almost unknown, but his later influence was considerable and he has acquired significant posthumous fame. Born to a poor family, he was originally destined for a career as a builder and plasterer before turning to painting. He spent the early part of his life in Smyrna in Asia Minor, then a largely Greek city, where he is said to have been employed as a doorkeeper by the Greek consulate. Later, early in the 20th century, he moved to Pillion on the Greek mainland, and spent the next three decades working as a journeyman artist, painting frescos, walls, doors, cupboards, chests and even shop signs in towns and villages up and down central and northern Greece, often for little more than his keep.
His subjects included scenes from recent as well as ancient and medieval Greek history (Alexander the Great was a favourite subject, as were the protagonists of the Greek War of Liberation), mythology, literature and scenes of rural life. Though relatively unsophisticated in composition and perspective, his paintings are lively, colourful and energetic. Their true value was recognised by Greek artists and intellectuals of the 1930s and 1940s, and he became something of a cult figure. In 1962, a museum dedicated to his work was built in Mytilene thanks to a generous donation by the art critic Stratis Eleftheriadis-Teriade (better known as Teriade), which houses a total of 86 examples of his work in all media.
