Page 42 - Studio International - July 1965

soon abandoned the confrontation of two different
drawings, one in relief, and the other in colour; instead,
he decided to draw directly in coloured relief. A mali­
cious though controlled stream forms, on the welcoming
surface of the canvas, strange shapes which seem at
times the children of mere caprice, and sometimes intel­
ligible and intellectually guided compositions. Colour
plays a secondary role: it is now no more than an
accompaniment which allows the whole composition a
general tonality; like a spotlight on stage, it throws light
upon the central encounter of the tragic drama that is
enacted on the canvas, and draws attention to it.
Maltezos is such a master of this technique, that the
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