This diptych work titled ‘Greek-Cypriot Couple’ and ‘Turkish-Cypriot Couple’ was painted soon after the foundation of the Republic of Cyprus. It illustrates the concurrence of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities on the then independent island. The artist captured representative cultural elements in the attitudes and gestures of his Greek and Turkish subjects.
The use of plank-like surface for the depiction of the people of Cyprus connects Georgiou with ancient Cypriot and Byzantine art.
George Pol Georgiou was born in 1901. He studied law in London, but soon abandoned it and devoted himself to drawing. Although he was self-taught, he studied art in depth, as he spent long periods of time abroad and visited museums, galleries and exhibitions frequently. His art is characterized by a genuine inspiration and a very personal expression. He was influenced by modernist art movements, as well as by the work of older artists such as El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel. Georghiou also developed a close relationship with the artistic tradition of his own country: archaic sculpture, byzantine, gothic and folk art.