Artwork
Χρωματική Κλίμακα
Χρωματική Κλίμακα is an unspecified work on paper by the Abstract Expressionist artist Sotirios Michou. It dates from 1961 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus.
About this work
This watercolor shows bright color bands fading from deep purple to pale pink.
This watercolor shows bright color bands fading from deep purple to pale pink. The edges blur where colors meet, like wet brushstrokes. Thin white gaps separate the bands, giving it a clean, modern look.
Michou painted this in 1961 as part of his early watercolor work. He often layered colors to create soft shifts, not sharp lines. It’s more about mood than objects.
See how it glows next to his later pieces. Look up Michou, Sotirios (1936-2010).
Overview
Sotirios Michou (1936‑2010) was a Greek artist whose practice spanned nearly five decades, from the early 1960s through the early 2000s. The work titled Χρωματική Κλίμακα is a watercolor executed in 1961, exemplifying his initial phase of experimentation with layered pigments and subtle tonal transitions. It belongs to the MOMus Museum of Contemporary Art’s collection, which assembles works that trace Michou’s evolution across several thematic series.
Technique & Style
The piece consists of horizontal bands of colour that move from a deep violet at the bottom to a delicate pink at the top. Michou achieved the gradations by applying thin, translucent washes that merge at their edges, producing a softened, almost wet‑look boundary. Narrow white strips separate the bands, introducing a crisp, contemporary rhythm that contrasts with the overall atmospheric quality of the watercolor.
Subject & Meaning
Rather than depicting a recognizable scene, the composition focuses on the visual experience of colour itself. The gradual shift from saturated to pastel tones suggests a transition or passage, inviting viewers to contemplate mood, perception, and the passage of time. The work’s abstraction aligns with Michou’s interest in expressing emotional states through pure chromatic relationships.
History & Provenance
Created during Michou’s early period, the watercolor was acquired by the MOMus Museum of Contemporary Art as part of a broader acquisition that documents his output from 1960 to 2007. The museum’s collection groups the piece with other series such as Flowers/Blumen, Cat, Landscape, Greek Landscape, and Poethen, providing a contextual framework for his artistic development.
Context
In the early 1960s Michou worked across media, including drawing, collage, photography, and ceramics, while his paintings moved toward abstraction and geometric structuring. This watercolor reflects his simultaneous exploration of colour fields and expressive brushwork, preceding later experiments that incorporated textual elements and mixed‑media assemblages. It thus marks a pivotal moment when his focus shifted from representational motifs to more conceptual visual investigations.
Artist & collection
Museum
Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus
Continue through works from the same source collection.
