Εκδόσεις Οίτυλο

Plastira Lake

Escape to tranquility

The lake was luxuriating, waking up, but still not wanting to stir in the sweet languor of the morning. The air was suffused with tenderness. They could hear the silent stillness. The sun was rising higher together with the mood. The breeze was blowing. A small ripple on the water was playing, breaking into the small pieces the sun's rays. All over the lake the solar tracks were running, sparkling and shimmering, bewitching. The sky reflected in water, water - in the sky. The mountains covered with dense forest opened up. The green and the blue were dominated all around. The heart misses a beat. Admiration. The feeling of immensity. Joy. Sense of peace. It seems that after a long journey, we finally returned home.

This time after the mythological historical places and wonderful Byzantine fortresses, photographer and traveler Kostas Papakonstantinou led us to a simple but magical nature. To the very special place. To a small paradise. To the Lake Plastira.
Impressive Tavropos lake or Lake Plastira is artificial, is a rare example of "collaboration" between man and nature. The human intervention is almost invisible, since land, water, wind and sky coexist in harmony, forming a unique landscape of inimitable beauty. Beautiful lakeside villages, each with its own unique character, stunning churches, manor houses, traditional cafe-grocery stores, a stunning view from the observation post, the dam in form of arc, the trees reflecting in the water, green mountains as the elder brothers of the lake embrace it and protect... The landscape excites, fascinates, captivates, pacifies... It's amazing what can make one sun ray, noise of forest, murmur of water, bird's song with the soul of a man. Here feels genuine hospitality, one feels like home.

The mirror lens of Papakonstantinou meets the mirror of water and ΤέλοςφόρμαςΑρχήφόρμαςbows down before the lake, as a pilgrim to the source of truth, introspection, revelation. The artist shows us that the beautiful is not meaningless. Beauty is infinite, informative. These thoughts point out the importance of culture of feeling. To see the beauty is a special gift. Not all are capable to penetrate deeply into the world of beauty.

To watch and to see is not the same thing. The photographer not only shows us his photos, but talks, communicates.
And we admire them, because they speak the language of life.

Shooting is instantaneous. The camera records the processes even fleeting, barely perceptible. The antique "everything flows" no one feels as acutely as a photographer. Time becomes an enemy for him, which every time he has to fight with to save from extinction the expression of visible reality. The photographer captures a moment of time, which immediately sink into the past, disappearing into nothingness. Thus, we see the ripples in the water, like a shiver, which disappears in the next minute. We notice a joyful sunray that gently touches the bench, as if it invites to sit down and enjoy the serene view.

In the reproduction of objects there are two basic cases - the objects are individually or socially valued. Intimate for us thing is not sensually neutral. Thus, the images of Papakonstantinou becomes valuable and eloquent. The psychological mechanism of the relationship between the viewer and images of the social valued objects is similar to the perception of objects individually valued. Therefore, familiarity of the traditional cafe, for example, touches and attracts so much. The familiar, the near to heart perceived as beautiful, becomes the subject of artistic expression. The typical elevated to an art form and disclosed to us in its aesthetic value. The artist relies on the inherent natural expressiveness of the object, but also creates a new expression, which the subject did not possess before. Thus, the boat on the beach turned into a symbol of the crossing from the anxiety of the city to this serene paradise. Oak forest becomes a hospitable host, inviting us into the world of beauty, harmony and peace. The tree in the photograph, which is not accidentally closes the album, symbolizes an explosion of vitality, hope and faith in the life-giving forces of nature. And the whole landscape becomes a symbol of good luck, opportunities and miracle-working creating existence. By including in particular, created or found by the artist space, the objects are transformed, not in physical terms, but in semantic, meaningful. In fact, the photographer presents no particular landscape, but his perception of it. Just like looking at the starry sky, we find, for example, the image of the Great Bear, thus looking at these pictures, we don't see the parts in isolation, but the impression comes from whole image in its integrity. We see, hear, feel these pictures.

The artistic aim of Papakonstantinou is especially perceptible in this album. To love a motherland, you need to know it. Travelling to the unique places of our country together with the photographer, we recognize our enormous responsibility in front of it. The fascination of nature, love for it are part of love to native land. As a true patriot of Greece, Kostas Papakonstantinou reminds us that to save the nature (and therefore the motherland) we can only with love, not with greed and profit. That love means caring, that the fuller freedom is, the greater is the responsibility. Nature is our home, which needs respect and care. Here we feel the harmony, unity and brotherhood, which are rarely met in human society.

Many admire nature, but not many take it to heart, seldom succeed to mix with nature, to feel in it one's own soul. Each photo of Papakonstantinou is an integral part of his soul, rich, restless, vulnerable, creative soul... These are the pictures full of feelings, awakening the desire to empathize with the artist, to develop the theme, look behind the image. Photographer with a unique artistic sensibility teaches us to see the outside world through the eyes of the spiritual heart, to use not external but internal vision. Thus, and our own state of mind, our love, our joy and sorrow come into full compliance with what gives us the artist. And we no longer distinguish the freshness of the morning and the purity of the sky from light of our beloved eyes, measuring noise of forest from thoughts about a life lived, the birds' song from the song of our own soul. It seems no more words are worth mentioning. Have a good trip then in the world of peace, confidence and constancy, the world of peace, joy and happiness, the world of peace, strength and prosperity.

Victoria Neferidi