The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-03-03
"ONLY A SOLDIER"
SAYS CONSTANTINE,
KING OF GREECE
But the Monarch Is Really Known as
a Patron of the Arts, Especially
the Paintings by Greek
Artists.

Athens, Greece, March 3.--King Con
stantine is fond of referring to himself
as "only soldier" but in Greece he il
also famous as a patron of the arts. HI
is not a collector of old pictures or, lik,
his brother, Prince Nicholas, a conser
vator of antiquities, but he is a very
! practical Maeeenas where young Greek
artists are concerned, and for patriotic
rather than artistic reasons. He wants
to see the new Greece take a part in
the artistic activity of the world in keep.
ing with her national aspiration in other
| lines.
| King Constantine's love of Corfu il
perhaps the basis of his preference for
the young Greek painter, Lycurgus
| kogevinas, a Cortiote by birth, who has
put Corfu on canvas as no one else. The
vague mystery of the island lives in his
landscapes, with their soft greys and
greens, lofty expresses like waving
plumes and distant Venetian castles
GROWING the hills.
King Constantine likes to show off
his pictures himself, as if he were in
part responsible for them, as he is, as a
matter of fact.
Count Mercati, grand marshal of the
court, sent a note to the Associated
Press correspondent bidding him, on
behalf Of the king, "to come to the palace
at tea time if he wanted to see some
good pictures The king was seated
in his study, in uniform, his legs
stretched out in front of him, wide
apart, the spurs digging into the car
pet. Before him, resting on the floor and
leaning against sofa, in full light from
the great windows, canvas of koge-
vinas; Corfu-the very soul of Corfu;
soft green's; the gray OF age-old walls; a
sky misty by twilight; proud, tufted
cedars like pennants planted on the hills
the white ribbon OF winding road.
King Constantine motioned the CORES
pondent to come behind him, whence the
best light fell upon the picture.
Great, whatf" exclaimed the sover-
eign, beaming with delight in the frank,
spontaneous way SO characteristic of him.
Corfu, right enough" he added. And
then somewhat grimly: 81 wonder when
I'll see the place againl" He dismissed
this phase of the subject at once, how
ever, waving his hand at two other can
vases by the same artist, hanging just
opposite the monarch's desk, where he
can look up from his work and trans
late himself to the beloved island at a
glance
part of the expression of a country's
soil is its art, isn't it? Well you see,
ours is coming to life again after all
the centuries under the Turks" The /,
king strobe across the room and dug out I
from behind table a long package, |
which he unwrapped himself and held I
on a chair back for the cor
to see; three sketches of the I
Acropolis--one by midday, another at
sunset and the third at moonlight, also /
The work of Kogecinas. Its begin
ning," said the monarch, proudly. "A
of peace and development in
Greece and you Americans win have to
ook to your artistic laurels.'
King Constantine's portrait has been
painted by the artists of many lands,
including the famous canvas by Laslo.
But his latest portrait is by another
foung Greek artist, Costa Philitis, who
It the beginning of the war was a volun-
eer in the French Foreign Legion. He
vas wounded, decorated with the war
ross, and returned to Greece to finish
lis convalescepee, where he arrived pen
liless. King Constantine commissioned
he youth to paint portrait to help
i'm out, and the young man promptly
made good
Kogevinas studied in Paris; PhiIitis in
selgium- The best known portraitist in
ireece, Anastasias Loukidis. is a pupil
t Oak of Amsterdam. The principal
ecorative artist, Panyotis Aravantinos, !
tudied in Berlin. Philitis was born of ,
ireek parents in Odessa, Loukidis in :
myria; Kogevina in Corfu. /,
At the last exhibition of the works of
ireek artists in Athens, twenty seven
ainters, eight sculptors and one archi-
eet exposed their work. Lycurgus Koge-
mas carried off the honors. I