Skyros Jug, 1937

A painter and engraver who was essentially self-taught, Efthymios Papadimitriou initially became known as a cartoonist in Athenian newspapers and later dedicated himself to engraving. Having passed through the realism phase, he moved to more abstract cubist designs which are evident mainly in his still lifes. He gradually abandoned traditional engraving tools and reached the point of carving his woodcuts with a simple, sharpened pocketknife.

He lived in Paris from 1922 to 1929 where he attended classes in woodcutting at various free academies. During that period, he visited many museums in France, Italy and Britain. He lived in Egypt for a time and illustrated Greek expatriate magazines. He also travelled to Istanbul, Mount Athos and Mystras to study Byzantine art. The product of this period was mostly numerous woodcuts, some of which were featured in books.
He presented his works at many solo and group exhibitions. In 1958, as an acclaimed artist, he was appointed professor of engraving at the Athens School of Fine Arts. Sadly, he died a few months later.