THE GARSOT INTERVIEW INTRODUCTION BY VICTOR FORBES
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cclaimed globally as a master of creativity, Sotirios Gardiakos, who paints under the name “GARSOT,” never strays far from his Greek heritage and love for the history and mythology of his native land. His artistic career began there when, at the tender age of three, he was so taken by his father’s drawing of a goat at a cafe table in his native village of Valta near Filliatra (a most scenic locale between sea and mountains that produces luscious fruit for export to all of Europe), that he knew then and there the direction his life would take. Shortly thereafter, in a kindergarten classroom, the teacher could not believe that what Sotirios handed in was not traced from a book and insisted the lad stand before the class and recreate the work live for all to see on the blackboard. Needless to say, his second rendering was every bit as good as the first and he was on his way. Art has taken him around the world and while he is currently headquartered in Chicago’s Greek Town (320 S. Halsted Ave.), he has recently become a well-recognized personality and exhibitor on the Art Fair circuit from Manhattan to Miami with many future stops planned. His current tour began in 2013 at New York City’s just-opened beautiful north wing of the Javits Center where his engaging energy and smile lit up a drab convention hall with the creative force of a solar flare. Later in the season, in South Florida at the Spectrum Space Symphony, Acrylics on canvas, 48” x 48” Miami show, his work shone as brightly as the tropical sun, resulting in major sales. His latest paintings are displayed at “My work is designed to create an environment Booth #103 at the New York Artexpo April 4, 2014 and more stops on the for the viewer to expand their mind.” tour will soon be announced. Fine Art Magazine publisher Jamie Ellin Forbes met Garsot in Miami where she conducted, an in-depth video interview in which the artist discusses his paintings with inimitable charm and earnest concerns for major topics of the day. Style and form, content and message are delivered in a series of paintings developed over a lifetime of love and respect for art and the philosophical and mystical heritage of his homeland. Garsot is an artist who paints from the heart. His work is timeless and could fit in any era of art history. Regardless of subject matter, each of his paintings is masterfully rendered with wit, depth and a nod not only to his own heritage, but to that of his untold ancestors from Dali and Picasso to the cave painters of ancient times, whose work he will re-visit on his next visit to Greece. He brings it all into the now with a consummate professionalism and genuineness rare in today’s culture of instant gratification and hit and run commerce. “As observers peel away layer after layer of his dramatically engineered paintings, conversations between artist and viewer – whether in person or through the art itself – are wonderfully engaged,” commented John Apostolou, Garsot’s agent and publisher. “The ensuing dialog has created an ever-expanding collector base that anxiously awaits Garsot’s next artistic statement. Multiple Garsots hanging in a home are the rule, rather than the exception.” While poets have written limitless stanzas about Prometheus, Adonis, Aphrodite, et al, Garsot stands as the eternal artist whose imagery could easily decorate an ancient vase, one that has withstood the test of time, immortalized by Keats in these timeless stanzas from Ode On A Grecian Urn. When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” Following is Fine Art Magazine publisher Jamie Ellin Forbes’ interview with Garsot The video is available here.
Harmony in the Ocean, 48” x 36” Fine Art Magazine • 15