Location: Greece
Michel Devanakis is a Greek contemporary painter working across figurative realism, symbolic imagery and digitally influenced composition. A former graphic designer, he often begins his works digitally to test structure and perspective before painting them in oil. His practice spans several series that explore contradiction, emotional tension and the complexity of human identity. His work features mirrored bodies, unusual viewpoints, cultural figures and symbolic narratives, and is held in collections across Europe.
https://www.devanakis.com/
This portfolio presents five works that explore the human experience through unusual perspectives, symbolic narratives and digitally informed composition. The selection includes intimate viewpoints, mirrored identities, socially reflective themes and conceptual collage. I often begin with digital sketches before translating the final composition into oil on canvas, allowing me to experiment with structure, rhythm and perspective. Together, these works show the range of my practice. From emotional and figurative to symbolic and experimental, unified by my interest in the contradictions that shape contemporary life.
Tootsies gained attention for its unusual, immersive angle. The feet stretch toward the viewer in a playful, intimate gesture. Many responded to its originality and technical challenge. It remains one of my most engaging pieces. The painting is part of my "Intima" series.
“Good & Evil Staring at Each Other”
This painting uses a technically challenging mirrored body to express inner conflict. It’s about good and evil, shadow and light, the two sides we carry. It’s not moralistic. It’s human. A visual dialogue between the parts of ourselves that compete for space. This painting is part of my series "Beyond"
Everland is both portrait and spiritual geography. It imagines Michael Jackson in a softer, quieter place, beyond the noise, beyond the world that shaped and pressured him. A realm of continuation rather than ending. A place for transformation. Part of my "Beyond" series
The Edge speaks about personal choices but also about collective uncertainty: pandemics, war, social upheaval. We all stand at an edge at some point. The work captures the tension between clarity and doubt, stability and collapse. This painting mixes acrylics and oil and is part of my "Dominium" series
Freedom imagines a world where the stories we consume are solely hopeful. My graphic design background shapes the composition: structured, layered, intentional. An exploration of how narrative shapes reality. Part of my "Dominium" series
“Tootsies”
“Everland”
“The Edge”
“Freedom”
