New York Times published an article today, dedicated to the last man in Athens, Greece, who still paints movie posters for an Athenian cinema. His work is reminiscent of old times, filled with authenticity before the metropolitan lifestyle took over our lives.
Vassilis Dimitriou is a living example from an era that is slowly disappearing. The 78-year-old man, despite the fact that he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, is an artist who paints movie posters for the cinema “Athinaion,” located in the Athens Tower.
His work piqued the interest of New York Times journalist, Liz Alderman, who wrote a story about him forthe newspaper’s website.
For 63 years, Dimitriou has been painting movie posters making him one of the last painters in Europe who still practice this specific art.
As he said himself “painting is always on my mind. When I finish a poster and put it in the theater, it’s a thrilling feeling, knowing that people will see it and feel some magic.”
Mr. Dimitriou has a very tough schedule. Each sign takes about four days to complete and he makes two per week for the cinema “Athinaion,” where he has been working for forty years.
Like many children of that era, he could not pay for tickets so he had to climb on trees in order to watch movies. One day though, he was caught and offered to assist with the screenings, if they would let him watch movies for free. That is how he began his painting career at the age of 15.
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