Provenance
The artist's widow, Athens.
Private collection, United States.

Exhibited
Athens, Archaeological Museum, Professional Art Exhibition, March-May 1942.

Economou's exquisite views of the island of Hydra enjoy a prominent place among the artist's mature works. As noted by A. Kouria in her monograph on the painter, "his Hydra landscapes are dominated by the large form of the precipitous cliff with its pronounced diagonal. This form 'rules over' the pictorial space, becoming, one might say, an emblematic presence, a signature trait of the island's harsh and angular topography. Using swift and freely applied brushstrokes that are often informed by gestural verve, the artist set out to capture something of the island's unique character, while at the same time conveying his own response to the genius loci and its evocative charm."1 Reviewing Economou's 1931 one-man show in Athens, which mainly included views of Hydra where the artist resided during the summer months, D. Kokkinos keenly observed that "this historic island seems to have found its painter. Economou felt the heartbeat of Hydra and instilled meaning to its form. He didn't copy nor stage what he saw; instead, he conveyed everything that could express this historic Greek rock."2

1. A. Kouria, Michalis Economou [in Greek], Adam editions, Athens 2001, p. 215.
2. D. Kokkinos, The Exhibition of Michalis Economou [in Greek], Nea Estia journal, no. 104, April 5, 1931, p. 439.