The heroes of the Greek War of Independence, such as Karaiskaki, Nikitaras, Botsaris and others have become iconic thanks to the amazing work of a street artist, as previously reported by Greek City Times.
However, it has been discovered that these are the work of 18-year-old street artist using the pseudonym Evrytos.
Through his works he celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution.
As the street artist said to Proto Thema, Greek history is not just a stimulus, but a source of inspiration and teaching for him.
“Graffiti for me is a way of externalizing the aesthetics of my ideas based on nation and patriotism, through graffiti I want people to feel what was born inside me when I came in contact with the history of our country,” he said.
“I felt a duty to make a little effort with a spray can in order to disseminate the actual 1821 message,” he added.
In antiquity Evrytos was one of the 300 Spartans and fought next to King Leonidas.
Evrytos refused to return back to Sparta and stood against the Persians in the battle of Thermopylae.
The young artist explains why he chose this nickname and what it symbolises for him.
“Evrytos, out of faith to his King and the ideals of his homeland, exclaimed ‘since I cannot see to fight, I cannot even see the way back’ and ran back to the battlefield where he fell fighting blind,” he said.
“There is a great story behind my emotional connection to this little story since I was 14 years old. That’s why I use this nickname, wanting to motivate other people to look for the story of this invisible hero,” he emphasised.
“The most ideal for me would be to be able to paint the figures of our Heroes in central places, in the center of Athens, in the center of other cities, with a history of the revolution, in big streets, big squares,” he said.
“But in fact neither an individual nor a mayor has contacted me to make such a thing possible,” he said.
“This way everyone could see, not my works, it is not what I want, but condensed a form the power, the spirit and the perception of each hero. However, the conditions require that this be done only from a cold screen,” the street artist continued.
The 18-year-old is studying at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
He is self-taught and has been involved in arts since he was a child at an amateur level.
The street artist started experimenting with graffiti last December, with his first work being the “damned priest.”
