Theophilos was a poor man who was born in Vareia, a village outside Mytilene. He had a special interest in painting. He learned the basics from his grandpa. His life was hard, because people were laughing at him. He was wearing the greek foustanela. He went away for a few years to Smyrna. Then in Volos and he was painting in houses and shops of the area. After a long time he came back to Mytilene. In Mytilene he continued to draw usually for a plate of food and a glass of wine. There he met the publisher and art critic Stratis Eleftheriadis or Teriade and he made Theophilos popular. Theophilos died in 1934 maybe from food poisoning. One year later his paintings were presented in the Louvre. Theophilos was already the most famous painter of its kind, Teriade built in 1964 the museum of Theophilos in Vareia of Lesvos.
Panagiotis V.
