| Heptanese school |
|---|
 Ascension of Jesus byNikolaos Kantounis (1800) |
| Topics |
| Regions |
| Eras |
| Related |
TheHeptanese school of painting (Greek:Επτανησιακή Σχολή,lit. 'school of theSeven Islands'; also known as theIonian Islands school orIonian school) succeeded theCretan school as the leading school of Greek post-Byzantine painting afterCretefell to theOttomans in 1669. Like the Cretan school, it combinedByzantine traditions with an increasing Western European artistic influence and also saw the first significant depiction of secular subjects. The school was based in theIonian Islands, which were not part of Ottoman Greece, from the middle of the 17th century until the middle of the 19th century. The center of Greek art migrated urgently to the Ionian Islands but countless Greek artists were influenced by the school including the ones living throughout the Greek communities in the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere in the world.
The early Heptanese school was influenced by Flemish, French, Italian and German engravings. Artists representative of that era wereTheodore Poulakis,Elias Moskos andEmmanuel Tzanes. Notable works includeThe Fall of Man andJacob’s Ladder andNoah's Ark. The early 1700s were influenced by Greek paintersNikolaos Kallergis andPanagiotis Doxaras. Greek art was no longer limited to the traditionalmaniera greca dominant in theCretan school but the style evolved into the Stile di pittura Ionico or stile Ionico in English Ionian style. The movement featured a mixture of brilliant artists. They took risks in creating art that escaped tradition. Some examples of paintings include:Virgin Glykofilousa,The Deposition from the Cross, andAssumption of Mary. In the 1800s the Heptanese school featured prominent portrait paintersNikolaos Kantounis,Nikolaos Koutouzis andGerasimos Pitsamanos. Other artists of the school includedSpyridon Ventouras,Efstathios Karousos,Stephanos Tzangarolas andSpyridon Sperantzas.[1][2][3]
_cropped.jpg)
TheIonian Islands or Heptanese from the 17th to the 19th century were under successiveVenetian,French andEnglish occupation. The relative freedom that the Heptanesian people enjoyed compared with theOttoman-ruled mainland Greece, and the vicinity and the cultural relationships with neighboring Italy, resulted in the creation of the first modern art movement in Greece. Another reason for the regional blossoming of arts is the migration of artists from the rest of the Greek world, and especiallyCrete, to the Heptanese to escape Ottoman rule. From theFall of Constantinople in the mid-15th century until itsconquest by the Ottomans in the 17th century, Crete, alsoruled by Venice, had been the main cultural center of Greece, giving rise to theCretan school. The main representatives of the fusion of Heptanese and Cretan schools areMichael Damaskinos,Spyridon Ventouras,Dimitrios and George Moschos [el],Manolis Tzanes,Konstantinos Tzanes andStephanos Tzangarolas.[3]
Art in the Heptanese shifted towards Western styles by the end of the 17th century with the gradual abandonment of strict Byzantine conventions and techniques. Artists were now increasingly influenced by theItalian Baroque andFlemish painters rather than from theirByzantine heritage. Paintings began to have a three-dimensional perspective and the compositions became more flexible using Western realism, departing from the traditional representations that embodied Byzantine spirituality. Such changes were also reflected on the technique of oil painting on canvas which replaced the Byzantine technique of egg tempera on panel. Subjects included secularportraits of thebourgeoisie, which became more common than religious scenes.[4] Bourgeois portraiture had an emblematic character which emphasised the class, profession and position of the individual in society. Frequently, however, these works also constitute penetrating psychological studies. The mature phase of the school of the Ionian Islands echoes the social developments as well as the changes that had occurred in the visual arts. Portraits began to lose their emblematic character. The early rigid poses were then succeeded by more relaxed attitudes. Other subjects from the school of the Ionian Islands included genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes.[4]
.jpg)
The Heptanese was characterized by the influx of countless artists to the Ionian Islands. The early school shared characteristics with the late Cretan school. The Greek community continued to prefer the Greek style over traditional Renaissance Baroque-influenced oil paintings.Theodore Poulakis,Elias Moskos, andEmmanuel Tzanes were the early proponents of the Heptanese school.[5] Heptanese art was characterized by art modeled after Italian, Dutch, andFlemish engravings. Some of the engravers wereCornelis Cort,Adriaen Collaert,Hieronymus Wierix,Jan Wierix,Hendrick Goltzius, andFrancesco Villamena.[6] For example, Poulakis'sNoah's Ark was influenced by an engraving created byJan Sadeler. Zakynthian painterDemetrios Stavrakis also adopted Sadeler's work inThe Prophet Jonah. Two other notable engravers from the Sadeler family wereRaphael Sadeler I, andAegidius Sadeler II.By the 1700s, Greek art continued to evolve butTintoretto andDamaskinos influenced Greek art far less. The art of Greece included influences from all over the world Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain. Some Greek art also exhibited Ottoman characteristics. Several ofPanagiotis Doxaras's Greek-style paintings heavily influenced the new image of the Heptanese school.[7]
His oil paintings modeled afterLeonardo da Vinci were not the major driving force of the new Greek art movement. Some of the proponents of the school includedEfstathios Karousos,Nikolaos Kallergis,Spyridon Ventouras,Stylianos Stavrakis andKonstantinos Kontarinis.
The early Heptanese school was heavily characterized by paintings modeled after engravings such asThe Fall of Man andJacob’s Ladder. Both painters belong to the late Cretan school and early Heptanese school. By the 1700s, artists were making bold changes to their artwork. This is visible in theVirgin Glykofilousa with the Akathist Hymn.[8] Corfu artistStephanos Tzangarolas introduced a more refined technique. He influenced theVirgin Glykofilousa painted byKephalonian artistAndreas Karantinos. Around the same periodPanagiotis Doxaras was experimenting with his Greek style.[7] One notable painting of Christ is part of the iconostasis at Saint Demetrios Church. Zakynthos painterNikolaos Kallergis also began to influence the evolution of the Greek style. His workAngel Holding Symbols of the Passion defines the new movement.[9]
The Greeks grew out of the termmaniera greca. The terminology solely lies with theCretan school. Stile di pittura Ionico or stile Ionico. The Ionian style defines the art of the Heptanese school which would be traditionally viewed as themaniera greca. By the middle of the 1700s Zakynthos painterStylianos Stavrakis created his own version of theVision of Constantine (Stavarkis). It exhibited characteristics of the Late Cretan school but is representative of the stile Ionico.
Artists fromLefkada began to paint a shared theme relating to the life ofJohn Chrysostom.Spyridon Ventouras created a notable painting calledA Scene from the Life of John Chrysostom in 1797.[10][11]
Three artists carried the art of the Heptanese school outside of the Greek world.Spyridon Sperantzas traveled toTrieste where he had a successful active workshop.Efstathios Karousos finished major works in Naples. andSpiridione Roma traveled to Sicily then England. The art of the Heptanese school also influenced other Greek painters living outside of the Greek artistic epicenter. Athenian fresco painterGeorgios Markou traveled to Venice and the Ionian Islands. Countless works were sold throughout the Greek community and Heptanese painting was the prevalent style in Greek communities. Many works were sent to the two major Greek monasteriesMount Athos andMount Sinai. By the 1800s the school evolved and could sustain portrait painters. Some of the painters includedGerasimos Pitsamanos,Nikolaos Kantounis, andNikolaos Koutouzis.Nikolaos Kantounis andNikolaos Koutouzis each feature artistic catalogs with over 100 paintings.
Some examples of the new western influenced art can be seen on the frescoed ceilings of churches which were known asourania orsofita. A pioneer in the change wasPanagiotis Doxaras (1662–1729), aManiot who was taughtByzantine iconography from the CretanLeos Moskos. Later Doxaras traveled to Venice to study painting. He abandoned Byzantine iconography to dedicate himself to western art. He used the works ofPaolo Veronese as his guide. He later frescoed the ceiling of the church ofSaint Spyridon inCorfu.[12]
In 1726, he wrote the famous although controversial and much-debated theoretical textOn painting (Περί ζωγραφίας) in which he addressed the need for Greek art to depart from the Byzantine art towards western European art. His article even today is the subject of much discussion in Greece.[13]
Nikolaos Doxaras (1700/1706–1775), son of Panagiotis Doxaras continued the artistic legacy of his father. Between 1753 and 1754, he frescoed the ceiling of Saint Faneromeni Church, inZakynthos. Regrettably, it was destroyed by anearthquake in 1953. Only a part of it was saved. It is exhibited today at the local museum. Other contemporary artists of Doxaras were Ieronymos Stratis Plakotos (c.1662-1728), also from Zakynthos, and theCorfiot Stefanos Pazigetis.
The Zakynthos priests and paintersNikolaos Koutouzis (1741–1813) and his pupilNikolaos Kantounis (1767–1834) continued to paint according to western European standards and were particularly known for theirrealistic portraiture that emphasizes the emotional background of the subject.Dionysios Kallivokas (1806–1877) andDionysios Tsokos (1820–1862) are generally considered to be the last painters of the Heptanese school.[3]
The sculptor and painterPavlos Prosalentis is the firstneoclassical sculptor of modern Greece.Ioannis Kalosgouros [ru], a sculptor, architect and painter produced the marble bust of Countess Helen Mocenigo, a portrait ofNikolaos Mantzaros and a portrait of Ioannis Romanos[who?].Ioannis Chronis [el] was another exponent of the prevailing neoclassical architectural trend. Some of his most important works are the Capodistria Mansion, the Ionian Bank, the former Ionian Parliament, the churches of St. Sophia and All Saints and the little church of Mandrakina.Dionysios Vegias was born inCephalonia in 1819, considered to be one of the first to practice the art of engraving in Greece.Charalambos Pachis founded in 1870 a private school of painting in Corfu and is considered as the most important landscape painter of the Heptanese school along withAngelos Giallinas that specialised in watercolours. Another well-known painter isGeorgios Samartzis, who was almost restricted to portraiture.Spyridon Skarvellis [el] is best known for his watercolours andMarkos Zavitsianos excelled in portrait painting and is considered an outstanding exponent of pictorial art in Greece.[14]
Later Heptanese painters such asNikolaos Xydias Typaldos (1826/1828–1909),Spyridon Prosalentis (1830–1895),Charalambos Pachis (1844–1891), and many others seem to distance themselves from the Heptanese school principles and are influenced by more modern Western European artistic movements. The liberation of Greece has transferred the Greek cultural centre from the Heptanese toAthens. Particularly important for that was the foundation in 1837 of theAthens Polytechnic that preceded theAthens School of Fine Arts. In the new school many artists were invited to teach such as the Italian Raffaello Ceccoli (fl.1839-1852), the FrenchPierre Bonirote [fr], the GermanLudwig Thiersch and the GreeksStefanos Lantsas [el] and his father,Vikentios. Among the first students of the school wasTheodoros Vryzakis.
The Heptanese school features countless works of art and artists.Manolis Hatzidakisconducted massive research in the field. He is considered the 20th centuryGiorgio Vasari andBernardo de' Dominici. He helped shape theInstitute of Neohellenic Research. Three important Encyclopedias were published within the last thirty years cataloging painters and artists. The books feature records of artists from the Fall of the Byzantine Empire until the onset of modern Greece. It is the first time in history Greek painters were listed on this magnitude and scale. The work is similar toGiorgio Vasari’sLives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects andBernardo de' Dominici'sVite dei Pittori, Scultori, ed Architetti Napolitani.
The encyclopedias feature thousands of frescos, paintings, and other artistic works. The books illustrate hundreds of painters. Regrettably, the three volumes are currently available in Greek and are entitledΈλληνες Ζωγράφοι μετά την Άλωση (1450-1830) orGreek painters after the fall (1450-1830). Eugenia Drakopoulou andManolis Hatzidakis were the predominant contributors. The three volumes were published in 1987, 1997, and 2010. The books feature many artists from the Heptanese school during theBaroque,Rococo,Neoclassicism, andRomanticism periods in Greek art. The books feature artists and artwork up until the Modern Greek art period. Drakopoulou continues research for the institute until today.[15]
Greece and the European Union have digitally archived hi-resolution paintings, frescoes, and other works of art after the fall of Constantinople (1450-1830). The government also features biographical details and an index of artistic works. TheInstitute of Neohellenic Research cataloged portable icons, church frescoes, and or any other artistic works. It is the first time in history a systematic record was accumulated in Greece representing the period.[15]
| Periods | Cretan School (Crete) | Heptanese School (Ionian Islands) | Epirus | Central Greece | Aegean Islands | Peloponnese | Misc. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1454-1526 | 145 | 2 | 4 | - | - | 8 | 21 | 180 |
| 1527-1630 | 156 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 83 | 280 |
| 1631-1700 | 68 | 22 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 161 | 305 |
| 1700-1820 | 52 | 76 | 85 | 49 | 75 | 53 | 350 | 740 |
| Totals | 421 | 115 | 108 | 71 | 97 | 78 | 615 | 1505[16] |
_by_Tsokos.jpg)
| Part ofa series on the |
| History of Greek art |
|---|
 |
Medieval Greece |
Post-Byzantine Greece |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
