Gardener, 1938

In the history of Greek sculpture, Thanasis Apartis has gone down as one of the most authentic craftsmen in plastic material, one who succeeded in combining effortlessly a European artistic training with the Greek tradition. His teacher and mentor was Antonio Bourdelle, who of his own initiative invited Apartis to serve his apprenticeship with him, as he had been truly impressed by the sculptures exhibited by the 20-year-old at the Salon d' Automne in Paris. Apartis settled permanently in Greece in 1940. His work, which is purely anthropocentric, reflects a profound knowledge of ancient Greek art, of medieval European sculpture, and of the approaches of its contemporary practitioners. Apartis came from among the post-Rodin artists of the French School, but, by way of contrast with the fluidity of Rodin's sculpture, he tended more towards the ideals of Bourdelle, who started out from and ended with the solid form, as the sculptured mass presents itself as a single unity.