Theofilos, the Painter Page #2

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painter.

You're an artist!

Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore

art thou, Romeo?

Deny the father,

and refuse thy name

Or, if thou wilt not

be but sworn my love

And I'll no longer

be a Capulet. "

I've played that part

Kama.

Be some other name:

What's in a name?

That which we call a rose

by any other name...

would smell as sweet.

Romeo, doff thy name

and for that name...

which is no part of thee

take all myself. "

The hero Davelis,

the Duchess' lover

Dearest Tassos, speak, for

have not long to live.

Speak, my love, do not

torment me any more.

Can you not see have no

heart for such pleasantries?

Life is like the high seas,

but we were heedless;

and heedless,

we fell in love;

we drank deep and grew

drunk on love...

And we never saw the sad fate

that lay in store for us... "

We must pack, Kama

We're leaving

for Velestino.

It was no more than a joke

a childish game...

such as we all play

sooner or later. "

Velestino, the home of

the hero Rigas Ferraios

Known as Ferrae

in ancient times;

Public rumour spreads the

message of the insurrection.

to the remotest corners

of enslaved Greece.

The mountain fighters rise

one after the other,

and openly declare

war on the Turks.

Members of the secret

Society of Friends...

scatter from one end of

the country to the other..

Preparing the ground for

the national uprising.

Now the Greek shepherd

no longer plays...

the sad tunes of slavery

on his flute...

but pipes instead the war-like

ballands of Rigas Ferraios.

And though the sun

is still high,

he sees another,

brighter light,

a heavenly light streaming

into his humble room.

And in this light he discerns

the figure of a saintly woman,

meek and gentle, a halo

round her head,

and he hears a sweet voice

addressing him thus:

"Rest in peace, corsair. will

make your country rise again.

Rigas Ferraios, kindling

the love of liberty...

in the Greeks.

Painted by Sotiris

Christidis.

Lithographed by

Mr... Erginis, Athens

Well, Theophilos, can you

paint something like this?

In my own way

The faces have faded, but

the rest is still there.

I'll fix it.

You're here to whitewash

the place. Get started!

Chunks of grilled meat...

Jugs of red wine

Fresh onions from

the vegetable garden

sweet camomile...

Those smudges of yours

are no good any more.

So get on with it!

Mister...

- Mister?

- What is it'?

Alexander the Great

went to sleep...

and in his dreams

he saw the Prophet

and the Prophet

said to him:

"Alexander my son,

march against Darius

without fear... "

Knowing that the God of Heaven

and earth is on your side.

And Alexander woke up,

ful of joy,

and at daybreak he went to

war against the Persians.

With sword and srear,

they attacked the enemy...

and from morning

to night there was.

such slaughter

and bloodshed...

that the earth itself

took fright,

for blood flowed

like a river.

Alexander, King!

Life, Soul and Death.

I am not afraid of Lightning

I am not afraid of thunder...

Me!

Costis...

Make it a good likeness.

Did you hear me?

Do you want Botsaris'

moustache? or Androutsos'?

What do you mean?

Botsaris' moustache

is shoret and thick,

Androutsos moustache

is long and thin.

A beard would be best.

The ladder-watch out!

Good night.

May come in and

see my pictures?

They'll last

They'll last.

Is the horse

still alive?

We lost him, Theophilos

last year.

Here he's galloping...

- He was galloping, Theophilos

- He's galloping.

One Saturday evening...

on the feast

of Lazarus,

I was passing by

Etolikon, friends,

and by the city

of Missolonghi,

and as went by,

friends,

heard men weeping.

You can spend the night

here, Theophilos.

I am unclean for a house

such as this.

I will soil your things.

It is very late

I'll be leaving tomorrow.

Will go to my mother

Those other painters

in Volos,

they got a brigand

to hunt me down...

He broke into the house

where slept,

he jumped down on the from the

roof and tried to kill me.

But lay awake that night

and heard him...

The room is dimly lit

by a small oil-lamb.

Suddenly a harsh frigid laugh

is heard in the silence,

a diabolical laugh, enough

to freeze the blood...

of the bravest man.

And lo! Before him stood the

brigand chief, Kakarapis,

with flashing eyes, arms

crossed against his chest,

a truly fearful figure

a fiendish spectre.

Though a man of dauntless

courage, he took fright...

before the blood-courdling

apparition,

the mysterious, almost

supernatural apparition...

of the brigand chief.

Yet his terror was

mingled with awe,

for the brigand had come

down through the roof...

and reached his bedside

without the slightest sound.

But in a few moments

his fear disappeared,

and he regained his

customary composure

He raised his sabre and

pointed it at the brigand..

Then there was

that other time,

when they sent some

children after me,

young ones,

but older ones too

They broke into the house

and stole my paintings,

my drawings, forty bars of

scented soap, cloves, cinnamon

my brand-new fustanella.

I fought with then

hand to hand...

and finally managed

to get away.

We're nearly there

Shall lift you so

that you can see?

Are they expecting you?

I've been away

a long time, Sister

You look like Louis

the Marathon runner?

mi

Keep the hammer slanted

hold it firmly... "

Didnt they call

Father Pumpkin-head too?

We were all called

that in our family.

Keep it slanted firmly

Theophilos.

Mother has kept some of

grandfather's paintings...

He left them

half finished.

Why don't you finish them?

Then we might sell them.

Grandfather used to sell

them a sovereign a piece.

Can't Stave

my hand balks.

Paint differently

you see.

After left home, Mother,

went to Smyrna.

I got a job as a porter

at the Greek Consulate.

On feast-days always

wore my uniform...

and people used to say

There goes Theophilos

I found myself at the

battle of Velestino,

and then at the

battle of Domokos

with some other

sharpshooters.

Then went to our

cousins in Pelion,

and there began

to paint.

One day went

back to Smyrna

I painted pictures

of our Greek heroes.

The Turks happened

to see my paintings.

They saw my signature.

They proclaimed was wanted

for helping the insurrection...

I always carried weapons

with me... ammunition...

and painted

Now I've come

back home.

Ready?

Are there any more paintings

in the area?

Yes, there are

He wanders all over

the island, painting.

He sells them for a piece

of bread, poor wretch.

My son is interested

in his work.

He is using the same

compositions as at Volos

He has only added the

landscapes of Lesbos.

And here we have

the Greek Rousseau.

I'd really like to know

how he mixes his colours.

These shades,

this range of colours

they remind one of Matisse

don't you think?

Yes, decidedly,

a European-like painter

The Greeks seem to have a rare

notion of cleanliness.

They're constantly

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