About

Costas Ekonomides:

The two church-stands are memorials to fatal road accidents, which ironically or sarcastically overwhelm the two seated bathers in the background plane. The title “vacations” further emphasizes the obvious juxtaposition, as well as the duality of the content, physical vs spiritual. This duality is further fortified by the visual evidence of duets of composition elements, as the two church-stands, the two poles (if only perspective would have helped more) and the two bathers.
The composition classically presents three zones that represent the major elements, earth, water and air. These zones are typically cut by the vertical elements of the church-stands and the poles, the stands emphasize the upward spiritual thrust by their geometry and apparent symbolism. The composition would be complete and peaceful but the diagonals of the land protrusion introduce tension which justifies the supernatural duality between the temporary and eternal vacation, pointing not to sky above as the church-stands but to the infinity of the horizon.
To be more absolute to the symbolism I would have cropped out the chair and erased the beach umbrella, but again I am not as sincere as Tasos.