Patmos, a painted diary

Ebbe and Henrik Marxen are returning to the island that has been a source of inspiration for their painting for many years

There are places you don’t simply visit; you observe them, get to know them little by little, and eventually take them with you. For Ebbe and Henrik Marxen, Patmos is precisely such a place. The two brothers from Denmark have visited the island many times since 2015, seeking to capture their own interpretation of the Greek atmosphere through drawing and watercolour. Chora, Skala, the light, the architecture and the small, everyday scenes of Patmos serve as inspiration for their paintings.

Ebbe Marxen, an architect and painter, is particularly interested in atmosphere and light — two elements which, as he himself acknowledges, he found in a unique way on Patmos. Henrik, an associate professor of Art in Denmark and a member of the Funen Graphic Workshop, explores the place through drawing and painting.

Their new exhibition, ‘Patmos – a painted diary’, brings together watercolours created on site, in front of the very landscape that inspired them. It marks yet another chapter in a long-standing artistic relationship with the island, as works by the two artists have been exhibited on numerous occasions at the Chora Cultural Centre and at the Stavraka Family Home. Perhaps, in the end, this is the most beautiful part of this story: Patmos is not merely the subject of their works. It is the place that continues to call them back.

The opening will take place on Friday 11 September at 7.00 pm, and the exhibition will remain open until Friday 18 September, daily from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm. Admission is free and the artists will be present at the exhibition venue every day.