Pontian Painter Mastoropoulos

Three paintings from Mastoropoulos' Greek Genocide series

Nikos Mastoropoulos (Greek: Νίκος Μαστορόπουλος), a painter of Pontic Greek descent, was born and raised in Moscow but died prematurely at the age of 55. The Greek Diaspora of Russia which consists almost entirely of Pontic Greeks is now estimated at 500,000 as a result of the refugee influx at the start of the 20th century due to the genocidal measures the Greeks of the Ottoman Empire were subjected to. Mastoropoulos was greatly influenced by the tragic plight of the Greeks of Anatolia and produced a selection of paintings on the Greek Genocide which magnificently capture the despair and torment experienced by the victims of the Genocide.

The painter, who graduated from Stroganov Industrial Art School, spent much of his time in his studio in Moscow where he would paint and focus on his two other passions, ceramics and mosaic art. His work, which has been widely documented in both the Italian and German press, is displayed at two university galleries in Russia. Greek director, Nikos Anagnostopoulos, produced a short documentary on the work of the Russian born artist and after his death in 2003, the Pontian painter was honoured in a song by 85 year old renowned Pontian singer and lyra instrumentalist Nikolaos Tiftikidis causing great emotion within the Greek Diaspora in both Russia and abroad. Mastoropoulos' sons are arranging for an exhibition of their father's work at the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki.

Source: "Εργα Μαστορόπουλου εκτίθενται στη Μόσχα", Η Καθημερινή, 28 December 2005.