By Venia Pastaka

Art Historian

From February 26th until the end of March, the Museum of the City of Athens hosts the exhibition of the painter Dr. Spyridon Stergiou entitled “Interiors“. This is a retrospective exhibition, which gives the viewer the opportunity to come into contact with the special work of an artist who does not just paint spaces and forms but is a creator who transforms light into matter and matter into spirit.

Born in Avlona, Attica, Dr. Spyros Stergiou initially studied under Yannis Tsarouchis and then at the Athens School of Fine Arts he studied under great teachers such as Panagiotis Tetsis, Dimitris Mytaras, and G. Valavanidis. At the same time, he also studied sculpture with S. Vassalakis and then completed his doctoral thesis at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Currently a professor at the University of Athens, he teaches Psychology of Religious Art, Theory and Analysis of Works of Art, History and Technique of Iconography. His work, deeply influenced by both the European painting tradition and the Pompian styles, draws its power from light, which functions not only as a visual medium but as a fundamental carrier of meaning.

If there is one emotion that permeates his painting, it is that elusive balance between serenity and quest. His spaces often feel like solitary retreats, places of contemplation where thought can wander freely. At other times, his works speak of man’s relationship with the built environment – railings, walls, floors, all forming a labyrinth, a “trap” from which the only way out is light. Even in his most realistic depictions, there is a transcendental dimension. Whether they are interior rooms or naked bodies, the light softens the lines, creating a sense of levitation, as if they belong to a dream world beyond our own.

Stergiou’s bodies are not only sensual, but also almost sacred, as their colour rendering seems to transform them into something higher than their material existence. His work is full of contrasts: darkness and light, confinement and freedom, realism and mystery. Yet through these contrasts, a sense of conflict is not created, but a harmony, a sweetness that invites the viewer to lose himself in the images. Stergiou belongs to those artists who do not limit themselves to an interpretation, to a specific meaning.

His works are open to the viewer’s gaze, functioning as mirrors where everyone can recognize something of their own – a memory, a desire, a sense of freedom or enclosure. Light is the element that defines his work. It functions not only as illumination, but as a living presence, changing the structure of volumes, evaporating surfaces and creating a sense of spirituality. In these interiors, dimensions seem to transcend their limits, and the atmosphere becomes almost ritualistic.

The painter, having numerous exhibitions in Greece and abroad, has managed to create a work with a unique artistic identity. His art does not simply depict but invites the viewer to an experience where matter dissolves and light reveals another dimension of the world.

Information

Museum of the City of Athens-Vouros-Eftaxias Foundation, Parnassou 2, Athens, Τ.2103231397, Daily (excluding Tuesdays): 09:00-16:00, Saturdays-Sundays: 10:00-15:00