H2O
Vassilis Karakatsanis (b.1957)
H2O (2005)
Acrylic on canvas
40 × 50 cm
Private collection of the author
This is the very first work of art that I ever purchased. It’s from the H2O series by Vassilis Karakatsanis. I saw it in the Art Space Gallery in Santorini in 2005 and I love it as much today as when I first set eyes on it. It’s a simple, balanced composition that soothes me. And oh my god… those blues!
I absolutely love the colours in this painting. The deep, dark blues are so rich and lush I wanna wrap ‘em around me. I love how they fade into the kind of light turquoise blue that flows through your toes as you walk along the coast of the Aegean Sea.
And those boats? Look how that big red boat, flanked by two smaller ones, just seems to pop off the plane. They’re sitting perfectly still, with nary a ripple in sight. Look closely and you’ll see there’s something else missing: a discernible horizon line. Were it not for their reflections these boats might as well be floating in space. Maybe that’s why I’ve always viewed this as a night scene. Seas always seem more calm in the evening, although if you study the light there’s something unsettling. The boats are far too bright to be illuminated by moonlight, and the waters are far too dark for it to be daylight. It could be confusing, but I don’t really care. This isn’t the kind of painting that warrants that level of scrutiny.
For me, looking at this work is like squinting at something off in the distance. The middle is sharp. The edges blur and fuzz. The raw, seemingly unfinished top and bottom drips over the sides, creating tiny little pockets of abstract art. I love these. They add character and emotion that wouldn’t be there if it was just ships on a smooth blue sea. It’s the reason I’ve never framed it.
This painting almost always hangs in pride of place wherever I live. That’s an important consideration to take into account when you’re planning to purchase your first, or even your fiftieth, work of art: you gotta like it enough to want it on your wall. When I saw this series of works I immediately knew my walls would be better off with one of them, and this is the one I just had to have. Luckily enough I was able to afford it and in this particular instance I also knew it would fit in the overhead baggage compartment on my flight home. (I also managed to bully my sister into buying one too!)
That’s why I like it.
You never forget your first.
Previously, on Why I Like It:
Aug — Composition C (No.III) with Red, Yellow and Blue (1935)