Biography

Christos Antonaropoulos was born in 1958 in Filiatra, Messinia, a landscape that, although far from the major urban art centers, shaped his perspective on nature and light, elements that would later define his artistic style. He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1980-1985), graduating with honors. At the same time, he delved into scenography (1983-1985), an art that provided him with valuable knowledge about space, composition, and the theatrical element in painting. In 1985, he received a scholarship for scenography, while the State Scholarships Foundation granted him a three-year postgraduate scholarship in painting (1988-1991), recognizing the unique dynamic of his work.

His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions, both in Greece and abroad. From his first solo exhibition in 1986 at the Gallery To Trito Mati to the most recent one in 2024 at the Hellenic-German Education, his artistic style evolved, always maintaining a strong core: the quest for truth through painting. In 2000, by participating in the Sharjah Biennale in the United Arab Emirates, he received the First Prize for the Greek participation. Moreover, he has been honored by the Helleno-Italian Academy of Fine Arts, while his works are part of public and private collections in Greece and abroad.

Christos Antonaropoulos was never a painter who depicted the world exactly as he saw it. On the contrary, as he himself describes, “I never painted what I saw, but what I received from what I had seen.” This approach led him on an artistic journey where emotion and inner experience take center stage.

He began his journey with intense expressionism, with colors and forms overflowing with inner tension. Gradually, his work evolved, yet always maintained a vivid, almost pulsating rhythm. For him, painting is more of an inner recording rather than an external depiction. One of the most distinctive elements of his technique is his perception of space and background. As he explains: “In art, there is no background; it is not an empty space where something happens in front of it. I never approached the background as dead space. It was always a space I painted, a living, artistic space.”

This perception is clearly evident in his work, where his compositions are not divided into layers but function as a unified artistic field. For Antonaropoulos, art is a path of truth. He believes that the artist must express what concerns him with absolute honesty. Christos Antonaropoulos continues to create, exhibit, and inspire. He lives and works in Alimos, maintaining an open dialogue with art.

Georgia Dimopoulou
Classics Scholar – Editor