Trips to other countries are already exciting, and usually something happens that excites me even further. With this one, I realized that wandering idle gives angels of luck a chance to do their job. If it was up to me I would walk according to map from point to point; but my wife wanted to get lost, so we ended up with a pleasant discovery. But I have to flashback 5 days earlier and go back to Santorini to tell the complete story.
[nrelate-related]
While in Oia we entered many art galleries but most of the time it was merely a walk inside the shop, but still a particular art gallery attracted us. That particular gallery caught me with a fish sculpture. Sculpture was made of glass and metal and it was not an ordinary fish but a swordfish. Swordfishes have special meaning for me thanks to a Turkish poem learned in childhood. It is a sad tale of a swordfish which was harpooned and caught in fish net. In the poem it says:
“It is the tuna fish who can ruin the fisheries,
Once tangled in the net, soon I get offended
Even a child can pull me to the boat
If I were not so heavy…”
With this poem which I learned in primary school ages, the mystery and the freedom of the depths of the sea consubstantiated with swordfish and tuna fish.
With this thoughts in mind I enjoyed the sculpture, and left the shop with a desire inside me without asking the price due to the giant size of it. After a flight and four lovely days in Athens we were strolling around with guidance of my wife and a miracle happened: We once again saw the similar fish statues in an art gallery. This time not a swordfish but a tuna fish (or a similar shaped fish). Previously I haven’t paid attention to signature but the style of the sculptures was so similar that they don’t need signatures to understand that they are from the same artist. Nevertheless my watchful wife made the approval: “Apostol!”
We found ourselves in the shop to explore more. Exceptionally courteous and friendly lady, Daniela, greeted us. With sandals and cameras on neck obviously we were tourists, and since tourists are after souvenir not real art work, we weren’t expecting any interest from her. Nevertheless she gave information about the artists and works which we are interested. This made us comfortable and relaxed. As a result, we chose the sculpture “Angler’s Pride” and a few smaller works of Apostol and other artists.
I’ not an art expert but I can say that Apostol has a certain style while shaping metal and glass into interpretations of sea and nature. He symbolizes water with crystal glass and fire with bronze. But apparently he is influenced more with water. He artistically gathers small pieces of glass to create solid but also fragile sculptures, just like small drops of water come together to make oceans.
Another main collection of Apostol work is music. I must confess that the most magnificent work of Apostol for me is the “Concert for Cello” Bronze symbolizes the wood of the cello, and added glass gives the fragility of instrument. Music papers of Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata are used in the totem. This IS a real creation. Oh, did I said a “real” creation. Then you must see the “Great Balls of Fire.” This is a real piano that Apostol cut in half and then artistically applied bronze castings on some parts. The flames? A normal eye can see Jerry Lee Lewis, the inspiration of this sculpture, just playing piano; but apparently only an artist like Apostol can understand that he is burning the piano while playing. Aesthetics is not enough for an artist to be a “master”, the meaning and purpose behind it is more important.
While examining the work of Apostol I realized that his power of expression increases with the physical size of the sculpture. Freeing his imagination from physical dimensions, he seems to express himself more comfortably. Small scale works the same tuna, supports my opinion. They don’t leave the same taste with the larger works. So when decided to buy something in that shop I would rather buy a larger work of Apostol or some other artist’s work.
At the very same moment a second miracle happened and Mr. Apostol Nikolakopoulos walked through the door. We met and chatted. Do you think all these are coincidence or a game of the angels mentioned earlier? We asked permission from Apostol and Daniela to decide calmly, and after a brief evaluation we decided on the sculpture, Angler’s Pride of Apostol. I hope this tuna fish brings us luck all the time and we remember this memory to the and of our lives.
Thank you Apostol, and thank you Daniela…
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