Trapeza, Aigialeia, c. 1905-1910

Trapeza, Aigialeia must have been painted in the early years after his return from Italy in 1903, when he settled at Diakofto, Aigialeia, in order to paint in the open air, as he believed that it was only in this way that he could capture the abundant Greek light. However, within the context of the thinking of the early twentieth century on 'Greekness' and national self-awareness, and in the belief that painting should not be confined to the depiction of the Greek landscape, but should at the same time be a hymn to Greek life, Thomopoulos enriched his landscapes with picturesque idyllic scenes from the life of the farming community. It was for this reason that he was described by the critics of his time as the 'Greek painter par excellence'.