Between the blues of sea and sky, pure white. Mykonos town unfolds before my eyes like a residential sculpture. Mykonos architecture is a grand example of unique Cycladic architecture set around a picturesque fishing-village bay. A primeval architectural model which captures and conveys the very nature responsible for its existence. I read… *”the key to Greek art lies in visually experiencing Greek nature, its landscape”… “it is impossible to truly connect with Greek art, comprehend it, grasp its spiritual dimension and fine creation, when it is outside of Greece […] For if there exists a correlation between thought and shape for Greeks, it is thanks to the indissoluble link they have with their surrounding natural environment, a link that is a hallow archetype”.
As Mykonos draws nearer on the horizon, the dazzling sun deceives the eye into believing that the island is rising from the surging sea, and its uniquely rare atmosphere of primitive creation is revealed. I devour the words… “Humankind never had anything clearer or purer to admire than this light that illuminates and chisels things in the most sublime of ways “. […] Only by swimming in this light can one truly appreciate Greek works of art. Not to see them as awe-inspiring creations of the human spirit, but as a part of life itself that connects to the entire world “.
I walk and look eagerly around me, left then right, as if moving through a living museum of contemporary architecture which praises the relationship between man and nature; a connection exemplified in the Greek spirit of the 5th century BC, where wealth was neither destined for nor limited to individual use, but rather for the benefit of the public, both rich and poor alike. Traditional Mykonos architecture satisfies the basic principles of modern architecture **”because the spirit of the inhabitants has remained clean, while their creative sensibilities have yet to be polluted by ambiguous aesthetic theories “.
Two-storied, functional, with narrow facades or wide fronts, one-roomed or later on separated into smaller rooms with a graceful arch the defining structural element both uniting and dividing the two spaces; rooms with differing ceiling heights, indication of how as families and needs grew, so did living space, modestly and humbly, simply and austerely, with no need for shows or displays beyond the obvious. With materials taken from a land inextricably linked with the mastery of the Greek builder, who dug and smoothed the simple walls to fit the bare necessities, while decorating the chimneys so elaborately as to express, perhaps out of instinct, the symbolic merger of man’s work with that of nature itself.
I paraphrase… “only in this place, in the Mykonos of blues punctured by dazzling whites, can my soul and thoughts soar… thoughts that leap ahead, hopeful and bright”
In complete harmony with its surrounding environment and in keeping with the architecture of the land that is its host, the 5-star Mykonos Grand Hotel opens its doors outwards towards the Aegean Sea, the light, towards its guests. At Mykonos Grand Beach Resort, luxury emerges from the simple, uncomplicated lines that are the backbone of the island’s architectural heritage. Its adherence to this traditional Mykonos architecture, characterized by cube-shaped, whitewashed structures and cobblestone paths merges seamlessly with the accommodations’ romantic, stylish and restful interior decor, and offers guests the ultimate Greek getaway.
Be our guest and uncover its exquisiteness for yourself!
*Christian Zervos. Philosopher, editor and art critic. Founder and Director of “Cahiers d’ Art” (“Notes on Art”, 1926-1960) magazine, as well as the corresponding publishing house.
**Panos Tzelepis. Architect
Excerpts from the book: ISLANDS OF THE AEGEAN architecture. Ministry of the Aegean. Publisher MELISSA. Chapter: THE AEGEAN IS MODERN –Panayiotis Tournikiotis.
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