Artwork
Μελέτη για Κοσμήματα 11 Σχέδια
Μελέτη για Κοσμήματα 11 Σχέδια is a drawing by Alex Mylona. It dates from 1970 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus.
About this work
Overview
The sketchbook-like quality reflects Mylona’s interest in process over finality, aligning with her broader experimental approach to form and material.
Created around 1970 by Greek sculptor Alex Mylona, this work is one of eleven drawings in a series titled Μελέτη για Κοσμήματα. Executed in light pencil on paper, the piece presents a loose arrangement of geometric forms, squares, rectangles, and angular fragments, suggesting preliminary explorations rather than finished designs. The sketchbook-like quality reflects Mylona’s interest in process over finality, aligning with her broader experimental approach to form and material.
Subject & Meaning
Though the title references jewelry, the drawings resist literal interpretation. Shapes resemble potential components, clasps, pendants, or links, but remain abstracted and fragmented. The work functions less as a design blueprint and more as a visual investigation into structure, repetition, and spatial relationships.
Mylona’s focus appears to be on the act of making and the potential of form, not on wearable objects per se.
Technique & Style
Executed with minimal pressure and rapid, unrefined strokes, the pencil lines convey immediacy and spontaneity. Overlapping contours and sharp, diverging edges create visual tension without resolution. The absence of shading or detail emphasizes line as the primary medium.
A handwritten note in the upper left corner suggests the drawings were made as working thoughts, capturing fleeting ideas rather than polished compositions.
History & Provenance
The series is held in the collection of the Museum of Ethnography, where it has remained since its creation. Mylona produced these works during a period of transition, following her training at the Athens School of Fine Arts and her move to Paris in the 1960s. The drawings reflect her engagement with European avant-garde practices while maintaining a distinctly personal visual language rooted in sculptural thinking.
Context
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, many artists across Europe were redefining craft and design through abstraction. Mylona’s drawings align with this shift, rejecting traditional ornamentation in favor of structural inquiry. Her background in sculpture informed this approach, treating jewelry not as adornment but as a field for exploring spatial and formal relationships outside conventional boundaries.
Legacy
These drawings illustrate Mylona’s commitment to process as a core artistic value. They stand as evidence of a practice that blurred lines between sculpture, design, and drawing. While not widely exhibited, the series contributes to a broader understanding of postwar Greek art that prioritized experimentation over commodification, influencing later generations interested in the intersection of craft and conceptual practice.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alex Mylona (Athens, 1920 – 2016) was a Greek sculptor, known for her multidimensional and experimental approach to art.
Museum
Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki – MOMus
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