CHRYSANTHE MAGGIDIS
About the Artist
Born in Greece and raised in the United States, I grew up between two cultures and languages that have profoundly shaped the way I see, understand, and create. This bicultural perspective continues to inform both my artistic practice and my academic work, allowing me to move naturally between the worlds of art, history, and archaeology.
My formal training began at Dickinson College, where I earned a BA in Art, Archaeology, and Art History (2012–2016). During my undergraduate studies, I developed an extensive studio practice across drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography. My work initially centered on the human figure, with charcoal becoming a primary medium through which I explored anatomy, form, gesture, and the expressive possibilities of the drawn line. I continued my artistic education at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia, earning an MFA in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking (2017–2019). At PAFA, my practice expanded beyond traditional drawing into mixed-media work incorporating charcoal, pastel, paper, fabric, and wood. This period also deepened my engagement with the theoretical and historical dimensions of art, encouraging a dialogue between studio practice, observation, and research.
In 2019, I returned to Greece and pursued an MA in Greek and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2020–2021). My studies brought together my backgrounds in fine art, art history, and archaeology, allowing me to approach ancient art not only as an archaeologist and researcher, but also through the eyes of a practicing artist. My master's thesis focused on the Athena Medici type and investigated the relationship between Classical sculpture, artistic transmission, and the reconstruction of its possible prototype.
I am currently completing my PhD in Classical Sculpture at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, while continuing to work as an active archaeologist and practicing European artist.
My work exists at the intersection of these disciplines, where artistic practice, archaeological inquiry, and the study of the human figure continually inform one another. For me, art is both a way of seeing and a way of investigating. Whether working through charcoal, mixed media, or research, I remain drawn to the human figure, the history embedded within its representation, and the enduring dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary.
Artistic Vision
The human body lies at the center of my artistic practice. I see it not simply as a physical form, but as a vessel of memory, identity, emotion, and cultural continuity. Through drawing and mixed media, I seek to explore the body as both an individual presence and a timeless subject that connects past and present.
My understanding of the figure has been shaped by years of studio practice, as well as by my work in archaeology and the study of Classical sculpture. Ancient artists observed the human form not only through anatomy, but through ideals of balance, movement, character, and meaning. This dialogue between observation and interpretation continues to inspire my own work.
I am drawn to the body because it carries traces of experience: gestures, posture, expression, and the subtle marks of time. Whether rendered in charcoal, pastel, or mixed media, the figure becomes a space for contemplation—a meeting point between the physical and the emotional, the contemporary and the ancient.
For me, drawing is an act of investigation. Each line is an attempt to understand how the body occupies space, communicates feeling, and reflects our shared humanity. My work seeks not to reproduce the figure exactly, but to reveal its presence, fragility, strength, and enduring significance across cultures and time.
