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One factor I find especially exciting about Michalis Garoudis is the multitude of ways one can approach his work. From one side, he can be seen as a very good neorealist in the postmodernist style, and from another, he may appear as a symbolist, an exponent of Arte Povera. He can also be regarded as a pop artist whose capabilities for trompe-l'oeil are extremely well developed.

All these facets however would not be represented to their fullest and would not have been exceeded if Michalis Garoudis was not a very gifted painter with lots of talent, sensibility, and with the correct feeling for composition and color.

And after having said all of this, there are still many things one can say about Michalis Garoudis.

He has a gift for making his paintings special and unique. His work reflects the essence of Greek poetry from ancient times to present - from Homer to Seferis. His deep Hellenic cultural identity, not only paints and colors, but also listens and thinks of a citizen of the entire world. Every piece of his work echoes the the songs of the sirens Ulysses heard on his travels. In Michalis Garoudis' paintings, life and blossoms meet death and decay only to represent the eternal exchange of laws of our existence.

In parallel with the objects found by the sea, there is another aspect of his work less known but which is not a stranger to the pebbles and driftwood found in his previous works.

The Nails: Here, one cannot tell if the item was found or purchased of if it was crafted by ones own hand and resourcefulness. Therefore, the thoughts of the art lover, who views this painting, undertake a colorful quest to interpret what the eye are absorbing. One example may be a religious interpretation - that they may symbolize the nails of the crucifixion. Another interpretation may be related to the story of Judith and Haulophemes. 

With all his artistry, Michalis Garoudis manages to create works of exquisite geometry and inventiveness. It is worthy to mention that the restriction in the scale of color of gold metal nails is countered by the use of brightly colored borders.

 Michalis Garoudis' high quality artistic technique produces works of great standard. As long as there are collectors of extreme sensitivity, Garoudis will always exist in our souls as an echo of all the poems and memories of which dreams are made.

by Dimitris G. Pantelides

This master of permanent search of reality in the interior of things tell us: "What art can do against the smooth stone ... when the sea goes out?"

by  Joseph Paul Schneider Luxembourg 1991