Theodoros Stamos, Infinity Field – Lefkada Series

The painting Infinity Field – Lefkada Series is part of a same-titled series by Theodoros Stamos, which combines lines and shapes.

The abstract representation is dominated by a broad coloured surface and an irregular shape that crosses it. The colour palette is bold, in hues of purple. Stamos eliminates the third dimension and the illusive perspective, immediately asserting the modernist orientation of the piece.

The skilful use of colour and form creates a magical esoteric light. This is the artist’s way of rendering his identification with the natural environment of Lefkada and the vastness it creates to the human spirit. As Stamos himself had noted, “There is a powerful (strong) and conscious relationship between my work and nature, which ultimately manifests in a faceless expression.”

His life in a nutshell

Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997) was born in New York to a family of Greek immigrants. His father hailed from the island of Lefkada, a place that marked the artist’s later life.

He studied at the American Artists School in New York on a scholarship, initially attending Sculpture classes. As of 1937 he worked exclusively on paintings.

In 1970 he started creating the “Infinity Field” series, sharing his time between New York and Lefkada.

Artistic influences

Over the 1940s he became part of the New York School group, which established aniconic painting in America. Stamos’ relationship with this group had a great influence on his work. He started laying more emphasis on the explosiveness of colour and avoiding any specific representational depictions.

At the end of the 1940s the artist became the youngest member of the Irascible 18. The famous group of abstract painters opposed the institutional policy of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art towards contemporary painting.

The manifest of the ground-breaking movement was established as abstract expressionism, placing Stamos at the forefront of the iconic abstract expressionist scene of New York over the 1940s and 1950s.

Favourite themes and artistic style

The subject of Stamos’ work during the 1940s are biomorphic shapes in vast spaces. They combine muted and earthy colours, recording artistic geological shapes and organic forms.

Over the following years, these themes gradually turned into geometric forms within infinite fields, with bold colours and abstract compositions.

The close relationship and personal experiences of the artist with the natural world give his paintings an almost metaphysical-ontological substance.

During the 1950s, Theodoros Stamos’ compositions became progressively more abstract and simplified. As an artist, he explored the use of carefully processed layers of thin paint, to give a sense of depth to his broad coloured surfaces.

An important teacher

Between 1950 and 1967, Theodoros Stamos taught in universities and colleges in the US:

• Black Mountain College, North Carolina, 1950
• Hartley House Settlement, New York, 1950-1954
• The Art Students League, New York, 1955 · Columbia University, 1966, as a visiting professor
• Artist-in-residence at Brandeis University, 1967

Theodoros Stamos in the Alpha Bank Art Collection

The painting Infinity Field by Theodoros Stamos is also part of our Art Collection.

Both paintings are part of the Infinity Fields series and are marked by abstraction techniques and minimalism.

Participation in exhibitions

The painting Infinity Field – Lefkada Series was featured in the exhibition The Alpha Bank Collection. Paintings – Prints – Sculptures held at the Benaki Museum in 2005.

The work of art in our publications

The piece Infinity Field – Lefkada Series by Theodoros Stamos is referenced in the Alpha Bank publication The Alpha Bank Collection. Paintings – Prints – Sculptures, edited by Irene Orati.

Buy the publication The Alpha Bank Collection. Paintings – Prints – Sculptures (only available in Greek) on the Alpha Bank e-shop.

In other literature

The painting Infinity Field – Lefkada Series is also referenced in Peter Bradford’s book The Design Art of Nicos Zographos, 2000.

The painting Infinity Field – Lefkada Series by Theodoros Stamos hangs on the ground floor of the Alpha Bank building on 45 Panepistimiou Street, Athens.

You can visit it by appointment. Contact us to book your visit.