The Stefan Achilles Story Continues….

A year ago, I reported on this website that I purchased troves of artwork by an unknown artist named Stefan Achilles. The only information on him that I was able to find were a few of his ink drawings in It Is Magazine (1959) and some letters written to his friend, the sculptor Phillip Pavia. The Stefan Achilles mystery took an interesting turn when Thomas Patsenka contacted me through this website. This gentleman informed me that he and Stefan were great friends from Connecticut and had known Stefan for over 30 years until his death in 1990. Patsenka was introduced to Stefan in 1958 by Alton Kelly, who would later achieve fame as a rock poster artist and designer. Mr. Patsenka generously gave me his time and provided me with personal recollections of Stefan, as well as, a small suitcase filled with notes, memos, letters, photos, etc. belonging to the artist. He was also in possession of film and audio interviews he conducted with Stefan. This is what I learned…

Stefan Achilles spent the greater part of his life on a quest for knowledge and self awareness. It was an inner journey. He lived frugally and spent most of his time reading and painting. He was particularly interested in the Eastern philosophies found in the I Ching, Bhakti yoga, the writings of Ravindranath Tagore, and various swamis and mystics. Later in life, he was drawn to Gurdjieff, Wilhelm Reich, and Martin Buber. In fact, Stefan considered himself somewhat of a “spiritual wanderer, a ghost” in search of meaning wherever it may be found. The central theme that connected all these philosophies, though, was one of discovery and self actualization. Art was a means to this end.

Throughout the late 50’s and 60’s, he frequently traveled to Greenwich Village from his Milford, CT home and often mingled with artists from The Club. Stefan, however, was a private artist. His creations were not for galleries or to garnish the walls of strangers. He preferred the inner life as opposed to any prospect of fame or fortune. He writes:

“I have lived so long without recognition and acceptance

that I’m unaware, really, of having missed anything.

Essentially, I have a studio & I paint: THAT was my basic

wish & that wish has been granted.”

He further believed that, for him, art is the act of peeling away the layers of self and finding true oneness with the cosmos. This, in turn, is private:

“Art, to me, is play; no different than the constructions

of children along these bleak shores & just as tenuous

& very PRIVATE play.”

It was quite surprising when Stefan agreed to allow several of his ink drawings to be published by Pavia in his magazine. There must have been quite a struggle indeed. Also, there was a rare moment in 1972, when the artist allowed his friend, Thomas Patsenka, not only to watch him painting in his backyard, but, also, to photograph and film him!

I am forever grateful to Tom for his contribution to understanding Stefan Achilles, the man and the artist. The story is still unfolding and I will keep you posted. You can view Stefan’s work on this website, Instagram and YouTube. There will be an art show in the future somewhere in NYC.

Joseph Filocomo