nˌɑːt lˈɔŋ ˈæftɚ tˈɜːnɪŋ fˈɪftiːn jˈɪɹz ˈoʊld ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi wˈʌn, hiː stˈʌdid ˌʌndɚ pˈeɪntɚ jˈɪæniz jˌoʊəɡəpˈuːloʊz ænd lˈeɪɾɚ hɪz bɹˈʌðɚɹɪnlˈɔː tə pɹɪpˈɛɹ fɚðɪ ˈæθᵻnz skˈuːl ʌv fˈaɪn ˈɑːɹts ˈɛntɹəns ɛɡzˌæmᵻnˈeɪʃən, wˌɛɹ hiː pˈæst ænd ɛnɹˈoʊld ɪnðə pɹɪpˈæɹətˌoːɹi klˈæs ˌʌndɚ pˈeɪntɚ dᵻmˈiːtɹɪs jˌɜːɹɐnɪˈoʊɾiz, wˈɛɹ, sˈuːn ˈæftɚwɚdz, hiː wʌz ɐdmˈɪɾᵻd tə ðə stˈuːdɪˌoʊ ʌv ʌmvˈɜːɾoʊz ɑːɹdʒˈɪɹoʊz.
Not long after turning 15 years old in 1931, he studied under painter Yiannis Yeorgopoulos and later his brother-in-law to prepare for the Athens School of Fine Arts entrance examination, where he passed and enrolled in the Preparatory Class under painter Dimitris Yeraniotis, where, soon afterwards, he was admitted to the studio of Umvertos Argyros.