Evening October 5, 2022 Manolis Charos he was on Kythera when, along with other inhabitants of the island, he learned that a boat with migrants had crashed on the steep cliffs of the east coast. He immediately rushed to the area, where he saw pictures of an indescribable tragedy. “I experienced all this up close, I was not a simple observer, but a man of action. On the other hand, how artist, during which I was very busy with Solomon, my thoughts immediately turned to “Kritiko”. This is exactly what the poet describes there, the shipwreck of the Cretan refugees on the shores of the Ionian Sea. Here’s what he told us, by the way. greek artist, presents a new exhibition entitled “Dionysios Solomos… two flames… Manolis Charos”, which opened its doors yesterday in the Makrygiannis wing of the Gennadius Library.

Indeed, in one of the showcases one can see a small tribute to the great, though unfinished poem of Solomos, with engravings by Manolis Kharos and just two anthologized poems: “…because I heard her eyes in my honeycombs” and “…I hang deep on the rock, and I am standing alone.” In a completely opposite niche are the first editions, framed by a fragmentary manuscript of the “Dialogue” by Dionysius Solomos. A young work emerges through the poet’s bird carving, which is also the main axis of the exhibition. “Dialogue”, the concept of the Greek nation, existed only through language. It, as an expression of emotional richness, unites and identifies – that is, gives identity – to the people of this place; this truth is captured by Solomos, “says Manolis Charos, who in recent years has drawn inspiration from “revolutionaries.” as characterize the romantic poets of the time.

The central showcases of the exhibition are full of rare editions of books, periodicals, letters and translations from the collections of Gennadius, the National Library, the Academy of Athens and the Museum of Solomos and Epiphanes Zakynthos, about the work of Solomos, his poetry of revolutionary Hellenism, but also disputes about language. Around them on the walls in a triptych flame-sea-moon moving works of Hara. The “two flames” in the title symbolize the heart and mind with which the poet approaches the world. The sea, omnipresent, restless or calm, “is like the image of a man, where he withdraws from worldly concerns and honestly reveals what is inside him,” as we read in the Dialogue. And the moon shines like a beacon, from youthful poems at the beginning of the exhibition to the “lunar” “Kritikos”.

Two more works by the painter, made in mixed media, emphasize the revolutionary character of Solomon’s chosen one. One, large and with a red head, looks like a call to action, and the other, a little to the side, like part of a giant poster, preaches in fragments “Freedom or death.” As Library Director and exhibition curator Maria Georgopoulou notes: “Harus’s revolutionary novel meets Solomon, but it is not a mere illustration of the text… Through the visual eye, the revolutionary power of language, the discussion of personal and collective identity and the flame of inspiration have turned into a creation that turns directly to the soul in the present.”

The exhibition will last until June 30 and is held under the auspices of the 1808 Ionian Academy.