Vikatos, Spyros (1878 Argostoli, Kefalonia - 1960 Athens) On a scholarship granted to him by Metropolitan of Athens Germanos Kalligas, he attended the School of the Arts (1896-1900), studying painting under Nikiforos Lytras and Spyridon Prossalentis and sculpture under Georgios Vroutos. He completed his studies in Munich (1900-1905/1906) under Nikolaos Gyzis and Ludwig von Löfftz, on a scholarship granted to him by the Petraki Monastery and E. Vallianou. In 1909, he was appointed professor of Shading at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he taught until 1939. Starting his exhibition activity quite early on, he presented his work in solo, group and international exhibitions, the most notable of which are his participations in: the Glaspalast in 1905; Bordeaux in 1907 (gold medal); Rome in 1911; Paris in 1937; and the Venice Biennale in 1934 and 1936. In 1937 he was honored with the Greek National Award for Excellence in the Arts and Letters, while in 1951 he was elected honorary member to the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. In his will, he introduced the "Vikatios Scholarship Fund" for students of both the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Munich Academy. Staying true to the lessons of the German academic tradition, he painted mostly portraits. On a more limited scale, he also painted historical and religious compositions, still lifes, landscapes and scenes of everyday life. A special place in his work belongs to portraits of elders, which he painted individually or as part of broader compositions, with a strong intention of depicting the subject's psyche.
Influenced by his schooling in Munich, Vikatos comfortably delivers the facial features of the person he paints. Nevertheless, in the details he adopts the standards of French post-impressionist trends.