Theodoros Stamos, Infinity Field for C. D. Friedrich

The Infinity Field for C. D. Friedrich group is part of the series Infinity Field by Theodoros Stamos, which combines lines and shapes.

Just like the other works of the series, the 4 works in this group are marked by a broad coloured surface and 2 fine wavy lines that cross it. However, what sets them apart is that they are smaller in size and painted on paper instead of canvas. Paper, unlike canvas, is more absorbent. As a result, acrylic on paper creates a lighter effect, aligning with Stamos’ goal to pay tribute to the work of 19th-century German painter Caspar David Friedrich. An important representative of Romanticism, Friedrich was known for his atmospheric, foggy landscapes.

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 following works by Theodoros Stamos are also part of our Art Collection:

• The painting Infinity Field – Lefkada Series
• Infinity Field

All paintings are part of the Infinity Field series and are marked by abstract techniques and minimalism.

Participation in exhibitions

The Infinity Field for C. D. Friedrich was presented at:

• A solo exhibition held at the Jean and Karen Bernier gallery in Athens, in 1982.
• A retrospective solo exhibition held at the National Gallery in 1997.

The work of art in our publications

The Infinity Field for C. D. Friedrich 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 – Sculpture (only available in Greek) on the Alpha Bank e-shop.

In other literature

The Infinity Field for C. D. Friedrich is also referenced in the catalogue of the retrospective solo exhibition held at the National Gallery in 1997, Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997), edited by A. Kafetsis.

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