The project marked the world of printmaking creation. White and black were colors. The white, dominating the soul, and black, the ground path. It was December 27, 1988, when the black shadow of death for all eyes of the great Greek engraver, Vasso Katraki. Separate author, with breath always youthful, offered in art and in Greece, through the lines of the popular movement. The "manly hands", as called, conceived decades, forms and ways. Carved windows open to the beauty of tomorrow. Thousands of colors passed through the actions of thousands of views were fixed grid of thought. Real treasure her work, "kalantari with successive misfortunes and our little joys us."

 

 

 

Built on a small hill artificially elevated in Concession by the City Etolikou area of ​​25 acres overlooking the tranquil "nerenia state", and calm, horizontal lines of the lagoon. The building is two storeys. The exhibition space (two rooms 400 square meters each) and the lobby, which connects them, are on the floor, which hosts the five main sections slave B. Katraki. Four hundred and some projects, many prints and reprints much of the matrices (wood and stone), on which set of projects. The exhibits also large and small in size and colored black and white drawings and plans prepared for the production of engravings reprint. Enhance the collection of art objects, art posters and paintings. Furthermore, hosted the workshop, library, archives and many photos.

On the ground floor, four rooms, approximately 400 m, for printmaking workshops. The museum (legal, falling in the municipality Etolikou) is a dynamic organization that aims to contribute to the development and progression of engraving in Greece. The printmaking workshops will address testing, experimentation and creation of the engraver and the wider area of ​​the museum is a great place of inspiration for artists, but also a benchmark for the general events (art symposiums, cultural nights, periodic reports, etc. ) planned.

 

The museum hosted the 15-year-slaves of B. Katraki in traditional wood and 35 years of engraving on stone. "Passing from wood to stone brought up - down to the engraving art world," says a close friend, critic and responsible for the presentation of works in the Museum, Kostas Stavropoulos. "The slaves of the rock released the size of engraving, pulling it from the hostage of printing and advertising. The B. Katraki aesthetic autonomy reprint the engraving and made unique work of art. And from these points has the greatest removal without ever reaching the ultimate description of the abstract art of Kandinsky and C. Spyropoulos. The engravings on stone enclose the courage of her ideas. This stone, pulled out of a textures. Textures that were a component of expression and not decorative. "

As she said, "exploring the traditional ways of designing on the standard materials, such as the upright and the side wood to copper, etc., I felt gradually exhausted modes of expression that suits my temperament. In the wanderings of my search for material that would meet the expressive needs me, I stood in sandstone rock, which the rough surface and the adierefniti area, I opened the door for large shapes and a deep and open gesture. My contact with this rugged Cretan stone drove the search for new tools. The mastrakas and chisels of the sculptors have helped it. With deep grooves, scratches and hard, with sharp or slightly passes over the black in white, and instead tried to conquer the unknown language of this new material and to extract the secrets that will help in expressing my needs. "

 

The Byzantine, late Byzantine art and folk poetry passed to slaves of. "The work flow effortlessly memories of Greek mythology and the Cycladic art of 6,000 years. Through the project, through the black - white, engraving became the third dimension. Done like a sculpture. These items can only be observed in Vaso ".

 

"Those who have seen so far in the Museum Vasso Katraki Aetoliko," continues Mr. Stavropoulos' talk touched on the extent of work, quality and inspired morphoplastic appearance. Since the slaves of, was born a new Greek play after 30 centuries, which is an art, submit bold and innovative, the mythological, historical evidence and fresco of much afflicted extreme revolutionary 20th century. Her work is universal. Proof that won four times in 50 years of action, competing with 150 countries and more each time. "

"Rich subject matter, with vertical drops Air Force, fall of George Karaiskaki Mars Velouchioti as leading individuals of Greek tragedy, and one other case in 1821 and 1941 - '44. The decision of Antigone to cover up the dead brother, despite the prohibition of Creon and "mothers Platytera" marked the history and social life without anapamo for greater individual and collective freedom. "

"Great are the works of Vaso" concludes Mr. Stavropoulos, "complaining critically, through Art, the concentration camps of political and ideological violence Dachau, Auschwitz, Makronisos, Gyaros, St. - Stratis and similar to the current policy and economic violence. "

 

 

"Northern Katraki was a lady, simple, humble, generous, full of humanity ...». With these words, Sotiris German unfolds his memories of life near the Vaso Katraki. The family home glued to her parents house, the family Leonardos. The sea is full, from morning till night, baby heads, swam and played among the fishermen's nets. Then the neighborhood had not yet bazothei and sea water touching the balcony ...

"The lady Vasso was like our mother," he says. "I always cared about me and my brothers, but also for other neighborhood children. I remember when filling the car, a "Zefir 4" with a bunch of kids and go trip at the mouth of the river. It was the mid 60s. A few days later the police called her husband and told him to stop the tours and the left "indoctrinate" the kids. Since then it took other kids, only my brothers and their children, Marianna and Spiro. "

At the beginning of the dictatorship, says S. Germanos, the sister of B. Katraki the battle - fighter and this - woke up one night his father, telling him that Vaso has left notices on cans at home. "The policemen with guns and vigilantes behind them, went and came to the neighborhood. Coast then there was. So my dad makes the stafnokari, came near the window of their house and put the cans back to the boat. Paddle me and my brother ... We arrived at the center, we turned the boat to hide away from the land back and we think we fished. Pseftopaizontas with my brother, so throw the cans into the sea ...».

"He had great soul Vaso. Some had pikranei, considering the political miasma of ideas. This, however, always chairetage all. Even those who knew that the police nailed. Vaso not want to talk about the difficult years of exile in Gyaros. The pulled bravely. He did not understand anything. He made a statement, or bazaars. Take me to say ...».