Michael Damaskinos | |
|---|---|
 Michael Damaskinos | |
| Born | 1530/35 Crete |
| Died | 1592/93 Crete |
| Movement | Cretan School |
| Patrons | San Giorgio dei Greci |
| Years active | 1550-1593 |
| Era | Italian Renaissance |
| Style | Maniera Greca |
Michael Damaskenos orMichail Damaskenos (alsoDamaskinos) (Greek:Μιχαήλ Δαμασκηνός, 1530/35–1592/93) was a leading post-ByzantineCretanpainter. He is a major representative of theCretan School of painting that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. PaintersGeorgios Klontzas and Damaskenos were major contributors to theCretan School during the same period. Damaskinos traveled all over the Venetian Empire painting. He remained loyal to his Greek roots stylistically but incorporated some Italian elements in his work. He was strongly influenced by theVenetian school. He painted parts of the Cathedral ofSan Giorgio dei Greci. Damaskenos has 100 known works. He influenced the works ofTheodore Poulakis.[1][2][3]
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Damaskinos was born in Candia (Herakleion), his father wasGeorge Damaskinos. According to legend, Damaskinos spent some time living and working inVrontisi Monastery, where six of his icons were kept until 1800. Damaskinos moved toVenice in the 1560s, while he was there he learnedminiature painting.[4]
He traveled extensively throughoutItaly.[5] From contracts we know he briefly stayed in Sicily from 1569 to 1571. Afterward, he traveled back to Venice. He was a member of theGreek Brotherhood of Venice from 1577 to 1582. He painted icons for theGreek Orthodox Cathedral ofSan Giorgio dei Greci in Venice. He tried to become a member of the council of the confraternity. He was unsuccessful. During the same period, he worked for both Catholic institutions and executed private commissions.[6]
He became friends with sculptorAlessandro Vittoria. He sold a collection of drawings to him which he amassed from other Italian artists. Namely the ManneristParmigianino. He was also familiar withPalma Giovane and may have had some contact with the workshop ofTintoretto. Some of his works are clearly influenced byPaolo Veronese,Tintoretto andTitian. Many of the Greek painters were influenced by theVenetian school. He returned to Candia around 1583.[7]
His only daughter Antonia married painter Ioannis Mavrikas-Mandouphos or Yannas Mantoufos. Damaskinos stayed inGreece and worked mainly inCrete and theIonian Islands. He was invited to return to Venice by the Greek Orthodox Confraternity. They wanted to commission him to paint the dome ofSan Giorgio dei Greci. He declined the invitations for personal reasons.[8] Extensive work was later completed at the churchSan Giorgio dei Greci by famous painterEmmanuel Tzane-Bounialis. He was influenced by Damaskinos.[9]
Damaskinos works were characteristic of the traditional Byzantine style. He used a particular rose color that characterized his paintings, his figure dimensions were defined by only a few brush strokes.[10] He drew on wood but never marble thrones which was typical in theCretan School.[11] Damaskinos was also the first artist to introduce paler flesh tones to post-Byzantine painting and it was one of the stylistic features of his work which proved highly influential from the second half of the sixteenth century and onwards.[12]
Damaskinos signed his works: ΧΕΙΡ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΤΟΥ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ or ΧΕΙΡ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ, ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΧΕΙΡ or even ΠΟΙΗΜΑ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΤΟΥ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ (creation of Michael Damaskinos).[13] Damaskinos worked extensively on theIonian Islands. He contributed to the fusion of theCretan and theHeptanese School of painting. He influenced the works ofTheodore Poulakis. Famous Greek Painter and theoristPanagiotis Doxaras in his bookThe Art of Painting published in 1720 considered Damaskinos to be one of the most important painters.[14]
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Twenty-five of his major paintings are located in Venice. Damaskinos completed works for the churchSan Giorgio dei Greci between 1560 and 1583. Twenty of his works are part of the church San Giorgio dei Greci. Eighteen of his paintings are part of the iconostasis. The Archangel Michael is portrayed in one of the icons. The dodekaorto also known as theGreat feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church is featured in nine of the paintings. Two of his paintings are behind the iconostasis within the holy sanctuary. TheHellenic Institute of Venice has four of his paintings. The research facility and museum are associated withSan Giorgio dei Greci. One of his paintingsWedding at Cana is part of the collection at theMuseo Correr in Venice.[15]
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