Evgenios Spatharis (Greek: Ευγένιος Σπαθάρης; January 2, 1924 – May 9, 2009) was the most prominent shadow theatre artist in Greece. He is credited with having brought the traditional Karagiozis plays to mass audiences through television, recordings and cinema.[1][2][3][4][5]
Evgenios Spatharis was born in Kifissia in 1924, son of Sotiris Spatharis, himself a famous puppeteer.[6] He progressively got introduced to his father's art, despite his father's reluctance, since his wish was for Evgenios to become an architect. His first public performances were during the German occupation of Greece, when he frequently used heroic themes in order to strengthen the morale of the population. During one of his shows, the Germans arrested him and brought him to the local Kommandantur for interrogation. Using an old connection of his, he managed to perform for them and they were so impressed that they decided to send him to perform to Germany.[3]
Besides being the most famous performer of Karagiozis, he was also an accomplished painter, with over 50 exhibitions of his works.
Spatharis was a member of the Chamber of Artists of Greece and the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. He was awarded the Rome Prize in 1962, the Toscanini medal in 1978 and several other awards, while in 2007 the Greek culture ministry awarded him the title of 'Grand Master' in recognition of his great contribution to his art.[3][4][6]
Deathedit
Spatharis was invited to an event at the Athens Goethe Institut on Wednesday, 6 May, where he was scheduled to give a lecture. While heading to the lecture room, he fell from the stairs and had a severe head injury.[8] He was immediately transported to KAT hospital; however, he never recovered and died the following Saturday, at the age of 85.[1][2][3][4]
Legacyedit
Especially in his last two decades, Spatharis enjoyed wide acclaim and respect as a towering figure of the Greek shadow theatre and of cultural life in general. His death caused a stream of encomia from critics, journalists and public figures.
^ ab"Evgenios Spatharis, Greek master of shadow puppet theater, dies at 85; Linda Dangcil, actress who played Sister Ana on 'The Flying Nun,' dies at 67". Los Angeles Times. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
^ ab"Renowned shadow-puppet master dies at age of 85". Kathimerini. ekathimerini.com. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
^ abcde. Athens News Agency-Macedonian Press Agency. ana-mpa.gr. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
evgenios, spatharis, greek, Ευγένιος, Σπαθάρης, january, 1924, 2009, most, prominent, shadow, theatre, artist, greece, credited, with, having, brought, traditional, karagiozis, plays, mass, audiences, through, television, recordings, cinema, born, 1924, januar. Evgenios Spatharis Greek Eygenios Spa8arhs January 2 1924 May 9 2009 was the most prominent shadow theatre artist in Greece He is credited with having brought the traditional Karagiozis plays to mass audiences through television recordings and cinema 1 2 3 4 5 Evgenios SpatharisBorn 1924 01 02 January 2 1924Kifissia Athens GreeceDiedMay 9 2009 2009 05 09 aged 85 Athens GreeceNationalityGreekOccupationShadow theatre artist Contents 1 Biography 2 Honorary memberships and awards 3 Death 4 Legacy 5 References 6 External linksBiography editEvgenios Spatharis was born in Kifissia in 1924 son of Sotiris Spatharis himself a famous puppeteer 6 He progressively got introduced to his father s art despite his father s reluctance since his wish was for Evgenios to become an architect His first public performances were during the German occupation of Greece when he frequently used heroic themes in order to strengthen the morale of the population During one of his shows the Germans arrested him and brought him to the local Kommandantur for interrogation Using an old connection of his he managed to perform for them and they were so impressed that they decided to send him to perform to Germany 3 Besides being the most famous performer of Karagiozis he was also an accomplished painter with over 50 exhibitions of his works He has collaborated with many of the most important Greek artists like Manos Hadjidakis Dionysis Savvopoulos Rallou Manou Stavros Xarchakos Melina Merkouri and others 7 Honorary memberships and awards editSpatharis was a member of the Chamber of Artists of Greece and the UNESCO International Theatre Institute He was awarded the Rome Prize in 1962 the Toscanini medal in 1978 and several other awards while in 2007 the Greek culture ministry awarded him the title of Grand Master in recognition of his great contribution to his art 3 4 6 Death editSpatharis was invited to an event at the Athens Goethe Institut on Wednesday 6 May where he was scheduled to give a lecture While heading to the lecture room he fell from the stairs and had a severe head injury 8 He was immediately transported to KAT hospital however he never recovered and died the following Saturday at the age of 85 1 2 3 4 Legacy editEspecially in his last two decades Spatharis enjoyed wide acclaim and respect as a towering figure of the Greek shadow theatre and of cultural life in general His death caused a stream of encomia from critics journalists and public figures He created the Spathario Museum in 1991 devoted exclusively to his art 3 7 References editThis article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations May 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message a b Evgenios Spatharis Greek master of shadow puppet theater dies at 85 Linda Dangcil actress who played Sister Ana on The Flying Nun dies at 67 Los Angeles Times 2009 05 11 Retrieved 2009 05 18 a b Renowned shadow puppet master dies at age of 85 Kathimerini ekathimerini com 2009 05 11 Retrieved 2009 05 15 a b c d e Shadow puppeteer Spatharis passes away Athens News Agency Macedonian Press Agency ana mpa gr Archived from the original on 2011 07 16 Retrieved 2009 05 15 a b c Greek shadow puppeteer Spatharis dies at 85 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation cbc ca 2009 05 10 Retrieved 2009 05 15 Final farewell to Spatharis the puppet master Kathimerini ekathimerini com 2009 05 14 Retrieved 2009 05 15 a b Evgenios Spatharis Passes Away ERT news ert gr 2009 05 10 Archived from the original on May 12 2009 Retrieved 2009 05 15 a b Hadjiantoniou Natalie 2009 05 11 O Karagkiozhs ston Paradeiso Eleftherotypia in Greek enet gr Retrieved 2009 05 15 Veteran Spatharis in hospital Kathimerini ekathimerini com 2009 05 08 Retrieved 2009 05 15 External links editEvgenios Spatharis at IMDb Spathario Museum website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Evgenios Spatharis amp oldid 1176970747, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
