Pilitsidis

TELEMACH PILITSIDIS’ BIOGRAPHY Telemach Pilitsdis was born 7th of January 1941 in Kivotos, Greece. He emigrated to Poland in 1949. From the earliest years of his youth he was drawing with full dedication. In the course of time his hobby transformed into a profession. In 1961 he became a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In 1967 he graduated in the workshop of Professor Jerzy Nowosielski with Fine Arts Masters degree. Telemach is an amazingly prolific artist. During his 45-year career as an artist he created over 3000 paintings. He participated in more than 55 solo and 300 collective exhibitions. His works can be found in museums and private collections all around the world. His metaphoric compositions are strongly interrelated with the environmental, aquatic fauna, anti-war, erotic, and industrial aspects. Following an idea of Socrates and other ancient philosophers Telemach shared his wisdom and artistic experience. Therefore his workshop became such a well-known place. Telemach’s lectures are rich in the theory of aesthetics and historical aspects of Fine Arts. He is a great mentor and guide for a lot of young, upcoming artists. Along with his artistic and teaching career, Telemach is an activist in cultural life of Glogów city. His works are mostly oil paintings on canvas, drawings, and various techniques with graphics. Moreover he is a poet and writer of the autobiographical novel “Insomnia of the eye”, the lyric cycle “Crucifixion according to Telemach” (1992), “Return to Itaka” (1997) and “Aliki” (2005). Among the highest nationwide distinctions, Telemach was decorated with Golden Badge for Merits for Polish Culture granted by Minister of Culture in 1984. One year later in 1985, He received the Silver Cross of Honour for creation, dissemination and protection of nationwide cultural activities. In total more than thirty medals, awards, congratulation letters and distinctions. “ (…) Pilitsidis as every genuine artist seems to draw our perception into many different traps; the trap of compositional complication (when the second or third layer of meaning emerges out of his paintings depending on how we arrange his symbols), the trap of colour (when we admire the richness and harmony of hues), the trap of metaphor and symbolism (when we plunge into cultural epoch to catch the master paying idolatrous homage to tradition, history and great ancestors’ deeds. Pilitsidis does puzzle the viewer with all the things but in fact he is only interested in expressing that terrible emptiness that is behind things and speaks in silence. (…) “ Stanislaw Srokowski Poet, publicist, essayist, literary critic