Nikitaras Stamatelopoulos (1787 – 1849)

“He was a chieftain of 1821 and Kolokotronis’s nephew, who he stood by in the most crucial times. He came from Anastasia, Arcadia, and his name was Nikitas. Since he was 11, he had been close to his father with guns by his side.

The fact that he was a very capable fighter earned him the title ‘Turkslayer’, due to his effectiveness in battle against his rivals in numerous fights during the Cause, the most important ones being in Valtetsi and Dervenakia. He saved the revolution on a number of occasions. Indicative of his military and organizational genius was the fact that, in the battle in Doliana, in May 1821 and having just 200 men, he managed to make a Turkish army of 6,000 disperse and take the abandoned guns as loot.

He was a man of solid character, valiant, who remained immaculate and unbribed all his life. It would have been a blessing if he could have infused his selflessness into his contemporaries, so that they wouldn’t jump on the loot before discharging their duty…

If we turn our look to the corridor, the way we came from, the composition of Nikitaras is revealed. In the background, high up on the rocks, among a few blue clearings, the figure of the hero dominates.

Trying to lay out the action field, I made use of the surfaces of ‘Cyprus’ on the other side on the right, creating new bulks and openings. In essence, I play with synallel levels, by placing it diagonally to the ‘…slaughter’ and exploiting parts of the walls of the rooms of ‘Lady of Ro’, ‘Cyprus’ and ‘Asia Minor’. Then, I tailor the surfaces marking its boundaries and create new walls from neuro-metal, cement and gypsum.

The bulk sizes alternate with smooth surfaces, and they alternate chromatically too. I used grey mixed with blue so that the warm colors of the faces and clothes of those who have been killed stand out. Trying to add height and depth to the composition, as it is small in size, I have created certain openings to the sky, little clearings that unite the composition to the hero. Thus, I make clear my intention to give a special atmospheric perspective.”