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tral, London, together with his wife Mary-Jane
and his family. He still lives in the same place
and works in the same studio. He is a very pri-
vate person, which explains his reluctance to
wildly enter into the art scenes of London.
He believes that one idea once conceived, cre-
ates numerous possibilities and these possi-
bilities can be evolved to become real visual
statements and form the creation of themes and
series of groups. He also believes that Abstract
Art must be pure visual sensation, in which col-
ours above all are the means of expression.
Art in the Cypriot community of London
By Renos Lavithis
London is one of the most vibrant art centres
in the world. The Cypriot community, although
small, contributes significantly to the art scene
of this important metropolis at all levels of the
different arts, from creative writing to music,
acting and performance.
In the visual arts, which include photography,
sculpture and painting, the contribution is also
at all levels, from the amateur to the profession-
al. In fine arts, the community has presented
good artists to the British public, with consid-
erable achievements, who are now acclaimed
worldwide. They work individually, as there is
no organised coordinating body to bring such
artists together, not even a permanent exhibi-
tion space showing the work of established
Cypriot artists. Chris Savvides, however, is one
of the fortunate ones to be part of a small circle
of such artists, who originated from the island
of Cyprus, our homeland.
About the artist and his work
Chris Savvides was born in Limassol and he
was painting since the age of 14, attracted by
landscapes and still life subjects. He studied
Painting at St Martin’s School of Art in London
from 1961-1967, mainly working with the hu-
man figure and obtained the highest degree, the
National Diploma in Design (NDD). Through-
out his 50-year painting career he explored
many of the 20
th
century’s schools of thought,
including impressionism, expressionism, fau-
vism, cubism, pop and op art, figurative, semi
abstraction and pure abstraction. From the
mid-90s to date his work has mainly focused
on abstract idealism. His love of colour enables
him to develop his thoughts and ideas better
through abstraction, emphasising that painting
must be concerned with a pure visual sensation,
in which colour is the fundamental means of
expression.
The Alegria Series