Ermioni paid tribute to Anthoula Lazaridou-Douroukou who died on Thursday 17th June.  Anthoula was a painter, artist and writer who lived in Ermioni and created numerous paintings depicting Ermioni during its recent history.  Her paintings, in her very distinct style, showed Ermioni's historical buildings, olive harvesting, fishermen, people and children going about their everyday work and play.  Many of her paintings are on display at the Ermioni Museum of History and Folklore.  At her funeral on Saturday, many of Ermionida's dignitaries paid their final respects, saying Anthoula listened to the soul, the visions, the traditions of Ermioni and captured with her paint and pen exeptional images, of a fantasy and real world, with the sincerity and innocence of a simple person who looks at the plains and the seas. 

Anthoula was born in Ermioni in 1926 and remembers drawing and painting from a very early age.  A self-taught naïve painter, her favorite themes coming from folk songs, festivals and agricultural/fishing backgrounds.  She loved dividing strong colours into areas of pure tone, giving the look and feel of a mosaic.  Lighting and perspective were not her strong points, but she attempted difficult composition with human/animal figures.  Anthoula had her work exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions throughout Greece.

 The following farewell came from her old friend Anargyros Lembesis, the last Mayor of the former Municipality of Ermioni

"Happy journey our flower . . . we will always remember you"