Landscape painting comprises a large part of Solomos Frangoulides’ subject matter. The rendering of the landscape concerned him from his years at art school until his death. The painting New Philadelphia belongs to the artist’s first artistic period, which extends from the end of his studies in 1930 up to 1947, when he settled permanently in Cyprus. In the works of this early period, which were painted in Greece, the influence of his teacher, Georgios Iakovidis, is clearly apparent.

It is assumed that this composition in the A. G. Leventis Gallery Collection was painted around the mid-1940s, when Frangoulides’ colours became brighter. This is a work which falls under the category of plein air painting, in which we can identify all the enduring characteristics of Frangoulides’ style, that is to say, the flawless drawing, the classical structure of the composition, the emphasis on technique and the harmony of the form and colours. The composition was built up through the expert gradation of colour tones. As the painter informed us in his autobiography, he would first draw a draft in charcoal from nature, on which he would work the tonalities of the colours in great detail. Then, after he had solved all the problems to do with the work’s colouring, basing himself on the drawing he would work with oils in his studio, translating each tone of the blackand- white drawing into colour, with light-handed, fresh brushstrokes reminiscent of painting from nature. Frangoulides’ tonal painting smoothly transports us from the darker to the lighter surfaces through the harmonious alternation of cool and warm tones, so as to create a play of gentle light, which lends the composition peace and tranquillity.