This publication was made on the occasion of the exhibition of drawings by Thanasis Makris depicting Maria Callas, which was organized to mark the forty years since the death of the great diva.

It consists, on one hand, of charcoal drawings created in 1994 for the illustration of the short story by Menis Koumandareas "I Remember Maria" (Kastaniotis Publications), and on the other hand, of color drawings in pastel made by the artist in 2016.

Thanasis Makris writes: "Maria Callas? A very glamorous and very feminine subject for my own lenses," I thought, when years ago Menis Koumandareas suggested I illustrate a short story of his written in honor of the famous soprano.

However, as I began drawing and digging deeper into the myth of her through photographs and sounds, I gradually started to enter the universe of this breathtaking personality. A universe enveloped in the scent of her genius, unsettling an entire era and more.

I realized that behind the magnificent presence, the timelessness, and the heavenly voice, there was a sense of austerity. This liberated me, and I created a series of drawings without any fear of the sacred beast. I encountered no artistic awkwardness because I did not clash with the subject. I approached her tenderly, just as she did with the young employee of the Grande Bretagne in Menis Koumandareas' short story.