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The Greek Period; a period of maturity (1990-1997)
Upon her return to Greece, Kanakakis gradually progressed towards an artistic language that became increasingly expressionistic. And it was characterized by the fragmentary depiction of the human form within a wild, inhospitable environment, dominated by intense red and orange colors, as well as thick, black outlines. She herself noted: “When painting, I try to express a feeling, to connect somehow imagination and reality. That’s why I create large works. Logically, I would like my works to cover surfaces from floor to ceiling and from the one corner of the wall to the other. I try to create a space there, between imagination and reality, which is literally a need for me. However, this has an expressionistic character.” And she continued: “As you grow older, you should have less self-control. […] The more your instinct works, which becomes educated over the years and the more you paint, the more it comes out unconsciously in your work. So, the more your instinct works together with less logic, the better your work becomes.” (Charitos, “Hero Kanakaki. ‘I am my painting…’”, op. cit., p. 53).
These compositions by Kanakaki are characterized by intense emotional charge and sometimes acquire a strong self-referential character, illustrating to some extent the painter’s anxieties. The large black and white charcoal drawings on paper are distinctive of her mature work. They were exhibited for the first time in June 1995 at the Barracks of Kapodistrias, as part of the second Festival of Argos, in an installation entitled “Cassandra and her executioners”.
Hero Kanakaki passed away from a stroke on September 14, at the age of 52. Her artistic evolution was abruptly interrupted at a moment when she was forming her personal style, in large canvases.
