Yannis Kefallinos (1894–1958) was one of the most innovative engravers of his
generation and the first who researched methodicaly the aesthetics of book and
typographic design in Greece. He taught at the Fine Arts School of Athens and
established the first book design workshop from which many practising artists
of the 60's and 70's had graduated.
In the late 50's Kefallinos designed and published an exquisite book with
engraved illustrations of the ancient white funerary pottery in Attica in
collaboration with Varlamos, Montesanto, Damianakis. For the text of
Kefallinos' Δέκα λευκαί λήκυθοι (1956) the artist used a typeface which he
himself had designed a few years before for an unrealised edition of
Theocritos' Idyls. Its complex and heavily decorative design does point to
aesthetic codes which preoccupied his artistic expression and, although
impractical for contemporary text setting, it remains an original display
face, or it can be used as initials.
The book design workshop of the Fine Arts School of Athens has been recently
reorganised, under the direction of professor Leoni Vidali, and with her
collaboration George D. Matthiopoulos has redesigned digitaly this historical
font which is now available as GFS Theokritos.
