ART at Kassiopi village!

Corfu and Food

Corfu Paintings, 3 The Square,

Kassiopi

Corfu

I was recently given an invitation to an Art Gallery at Kassiopi village, on the north of Corfu. As I wasn't able to go there in person, I visited the site, and here's what I found out:

The site is http://www.corfupaintings.com

The first artist is Richard Hewlett, and he is the one who owns the site. The second artist is Chris Stephens and I can only see his paintings on the small card I've got. Both use vivid colors and feel what they see-this is clear from the way they paint.

I can't actually tell much as I can only see Richard's paintings online, but it is clear that he likes colorful images and uses bright and impressive colors. I would say he paints the joy of living in the countryside, that's what comes to me when I look at his paintings. The houses with the red tiled roofs are a typical characteristic of the Corfiot villages and he has certainly succeeded in

depicting the small village of Petalia (see above) which is a very poor, yet full of colors village perched on the mountain of Pantokrator. I've been there many times.

Chris, on the other hand,has got a different style. I would like to see more of his paintings to form a view though. Maybe, next time I have a trip to Kassiopi!

Richard runs painting classes both for individuals and groups, so if you are interested, email him. You can find his email on his site at

http://www.corfupaintings.com

Korakiana village

KORAKIANA VILLAGE

View from the yard of the church of Ayios Thanasis.

The village of Ano Korakiana, in the distance, looks like it is embraced by the mounts Korakio and Korendi that are located in the north-central Corfu and are 18 kilometers away from the town of Corfu. The inhabited area of the village maintains a lot of traditional aspects from medieval times, and still shows resistance to the time and pressure of the modern lifestyle. However, the houses and the natural environment of a place are not the only aspects that define it. The people living in it are those who actually leave their indelible mark on it. Today, the decrease in the village population is evident, despite the settlement, either temporary or permanent, of foreign families. As a result, a village that has got a dynamic presence, is within easy reach of Corfu town and other areas, is near the developed tourist resort of Dassia-Ipsos, starts getting affected by the modern trend of urbanization. The only hope that remains is the activation of some clubs and organizations such as the historic Music Association ‘SPIROS SAMARAS’, as well as the new generation of youths who choose to settle down here, thus going against the grain. Since 1998, the areas of Ano Korakiana and Poulades (which is a few kilometers away) have been the public district of Ano Korakiana of Feakon Municipality. Through history, Korakiana had the same fate as the rest of Corfu. However, at two historic moments of Corfu, Korakiana was severely damaged and its population decreased considerably. The first (and the worst) was in 1537, when the Turkish army of Highredin Barbarossa destroyed Korakiana. The second was in 1716 when he attacked the village for a second time. The population of the village was renewed many times due to the settlement of people from other areas of Greece that were under foreign occupation (Aegean islands, Crete, Peloponissos). A large part of the village population, right after 1204, came from the seaside towns of Small Asia and Thrace, while during the Venetian occupation, from the Aegean islands, Peloponissos and Epirus. The oldest families still existing in Korakiana are those listed below: Savvanis (since 1473), Vradis, Mandilas, Ionas, Markos, Metallinos, Laskaris, kaloudis, Linosporis, Reggis, Balatsinos, and finally, Kendarchos and Kefallonitis during the first half of the 16th century. The village has got a considerable number of churches. There are 28 churches in the district of Ano Korakiana. During the English ‘protectorate’ many local residents boomed in Corfu town working as owners (or workers) of bakeries, but generally, thrived in trade and are still keeping it up till now. This economic booming brought along spiritual and educational growth, thus many children started following careers in education or science all over Corfu, as well as in the rest of Greece after the union with the mainland. Korakiana was also affected by this educational booming and the high educational level of its people is still prevalent in cultural and other types of celebrations of the village. This is an image of the village after the Second World War, while its roots date many decades back, when the idea of illumination fertilized the village society. [The above text is a translation of an extract located in the Greek site of Korakiana at http://www.korakiana.gr/]

Art Exhibition in Corfu

Four Corfiot painters displayed their work last week at the Corfiot Gallery of the island. The exhibition is open from 9:00 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 21:00 from Monday to Friday and from 9:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays. The Painters Stamatis Anthis was born in Corfu in 1972 and studied painting at the Art school of Corfu. Yolanda Anthi was born in Corfu in 1974 and studied at the Art school of Corfu too. She then moved to Italy where she studied Decoration and Preservation of stone art. Elena Soueref studied at the Art school of Corfu and then at Vacalo school in Athens where she studied graphic design. Spyridoula Zahou studied at the Art school of Corfu and she excelled at icon painting. All of them displayed works in several media such as oil, acrylic and mixed media. The portraits of Yolanda were impressive and one can easily see that she was influenced by the Italian schools of Art. Stamatis’ works are highly original and the use of bright colors is a positive aspect of his work. We can see that he is fond of the sea world, and the boats and underwater creatures he paints are vivid and cororlul. Elena likes the detail in her paintings. Her boats are carefully drawn to the slightest detail and the colors she uses are either romantic or striking. Spyridoula has studied graphic design and this is obvious from the shapes and colors of her paintings. Strong strokes and harsh lines at times motivate the viewer to find the underlying meaning of each work of art. However, she has painted classic forms as well but her strength is in the brilliant colors and strong forms. Corfiot Gallery I.Theotoki 77 Email: info@corfuartgallery.com http://www.corfuartgallery.com/

Cricket

Here's a picture of the lower square. There's a cricket match in progress.

Sports in Corfu

Sports in Corfu Do you have some leisure time? Would you like to get involved in a sport? Easy! Just stroll to the square and join the cricket club of Corfu. Cricket has been recognized by the Greek government as the national sport of Corfu as it has been played on the island since the 19th century, when the British introduced this game to the inhabitants. The cricket pitch is located in the lower square of Corfu town, on the Esplanade, amidst the green and the magnificent architecture around it. Matches take place mostly in the summer when foreign teams arrive on the island. If you would like to contact the local team, call 26610 47754, which is the phone number of the Greek Federation f Cricket. How about tennis? This is also a local game with tradition. There are many tennis clubs on the island , but the oldest one is situated in Corfu town, at Romanou Street, within walking distance from the Archaeological Museum. This one has got 4 tennis courts. You can choose to play at night as well, as there are floodlights inside. You can also play tennis at a hotel since most of them have got a tennis court. Contact the Corfiot tennis club at 26610 46430. Golf is also popular here. You can play golf at some hotels, the best being the one at the area near Vatos village. Ask the hotel you are staying at for further information on golf facilities.

Ballet issues-a Corfiot's point of view

The old castle.

This is the entrance.


Mourayia place, on the way to the old port of the town.

A romantic road in the old town.





Garitsa bay, the promenade.


Today, I display an extract from Aggelina's blog. Aggelina is a ballet dancer and a student at the Open University. She is young and gifted and I think you would like to know how she works.


"Another day spent struggling with the kids in the dance studios.
One could divide the ballet education in 8 levels. Provided a child starts the proper training at the age of 10, it has the potential to become a professional dancer at the age of 18. Academies usually prepare the children for the first level, with pre-ballet courses taken one or two years before the age of 10.

Right now I teach “babies” around 5 years old the basics along with creative dance games. This is a very fun process and although I really hated being with children at first, now I have come to enjoy it tremendously. You can see the fascination and pure joy in their eyes when they dance. I have also come to the conclusion that they are much more able of learning and performing complex combinations than what I was taught during my education. The kids are doing fine and will do much better in the future.

I also have a level 1 class to teach. They have had some elementary training in ballet but still lack some very fundamental elements. The good thing with them is that they do listen to me, and I am able to reason with them in order to lead them to the result I wish. Kids at the age of 10-12 are very intelligent.

The problem is with a strange class I took over. It’s not really a baby-class but its also not 1st level. They have been described to me as something in between, but they cannot do anything. I struggle with them throughout the hour to teach the discipline. To teach them that during this one hour that we train, they have to focus and give 100% of their attention and strength to whatever we practice. It is a very arduous process. Some children lack self-confidence and are very sensitive. I might appear somewhat frightening to them. Others try but are unable to co-ordinate their body and their thoughts.

Ballet is about discipline. It might look ethereal but the whole truth behind it is one of great (self)discipline and concentration. Personally I hate amateur schools of ballet, because they commercialize dance and do not teach the discipline and abilities required to be a dancer. And yet not every child wants to pursue the career of a ballerina. I remember when I was about their age, my teachers where much more strict and abrupt. They were older than me and required extreme discipline in class. They achieved that through fear. They managed to spread a cloud of fear for them among the children. Maybe due to my early training in discipline, I have been able to maintain and hold this discipline throughout all my years of classical training. The importance of it is vital and yet I am not “willing” (though I might be able) to “force” this among kids. I am currently in search of a way to discipline them through reason and common sense. I believe in their intelligence and as soon they start gaining confidence in their abilities, I am sure they will adapt.

It also strikes me as sad, the fact that some kids have so low self-esteem. I do not know the roots of this problem but as a ballet teacher, I would like to teach them the confidence, to present themselves in front of an audience, either dancing or talking in a certain and beautiful manner. Shouldn’t that be a task of the parents or school teachers to perform? It is something in the traditional Greek families that over-protects children to the point of them not being able to do things on their own and trust themselves. It could also be a problem at schools, when the teachers do not treat every child differently according to each individuality and personality. I have always felt inferior as a child, even though my abilities were above normal. That was because my environment did not show the proper trust and belief in me, the proper recognition of my abilities. Kids are not just kids… they can start and learn to achieve great things. And this is going to be my goal.

Learn more by visiting Aggelina at http://viruswitch.com/blog

Cultural News

CHESS


Do you play chess?


Yesterday was the last day of the chess tournament in Corfu town. It took place at the conference centre at Faliraki, a romantic place by the sea with view to Vido island.
The chess festival was organised by the local authorities in cooperation with chess related parties.

Chess games took place on a daily basis from 15.00 to 22.00 in the evening. It lasted for 10 days and involved the following:


An International open tournament
A Grant Maitre tournament
A touristic tournament and
a Rapid tournament.


More information and pictures from Aggelina's blog (in Greek) at
http://skaki.blogspot.com/


and from Bill's site at
http://www.aggelia-online.com/


BOOKS

The new book titled 'I won't Cry' by the Corfiot author Liana Vrahlioti is going to be presented at the library of Lefkimi this Saturday, 13th of October at 7 pm.


DANCING


The dance school of Jenny Theotoki will perform tonight at 20:30 at the Municipal Theatre of Corfu. The funds will be contributed to Floga organization that cares for children with cancer.
Ticket price: 8 euros.


CINEMA


At ORFEAS cinema tonight


the film Hairspray


with John Travolta, Michel Pheifer, Christofer Waken.


An American movie telling the story of Tracy, a fat girl, who tries to take part in the Corny Collins Show. The story is set in 1962, and the director is Adam Sankman.