by Catherine Tsounis
In our traditional Astoria home, we heard about El Greco, the artist who gave hope to the conquered people of the former Byzantine Empire. I never got to Toledo, Spain to see his masterpieces. We went with friends to the National Gallery Alexandros Soutsos Museum of Athens, Greece to enjoy his art.
Victor Davis Hanson, one of America’s best known military historians, in his book ”The End of Everything: How Wars Descend Into Annihilation” said “The most infamous of wartime extinctions was the destruction of Byzantine Constantinople on May 29, 1453, ‘Black Tuesday’, While the Greek language and Orthodox Christian religion survived scattered in Southern Europe and in the outlands of Asia after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the millennium long reality of an Eastern, Greek speaking Roman Empire and attendant cult in Asia Minor disappeared”1
The National Gallery described Post Byzantine Art in exhibit posters. “After the fall of Constantinople, the Byzantine tradition was carried on in the new centers created outside the Ottoman Empire, in particular in Venetian occupied Crete. The icons of the Cretan School were in demand outside of the island. Many of the painters were bilingual, painting in the Byzantine and Renaissance styles. After the full of Crete to the Turks, many artists led to the Venetian rule Ionian islands. The painters gradually left the Byzantine style and painted realistically. Paintings of these artists, many unknown, are on display in the Athens National Gallery.”
Who was El Greco, The Greek? The National Gallery poster explained El Greco in a few words. “Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) was born in 1541 in Venetian occupied Candia, present day Heraklion, Crete, to well to do Greek orthodox parents. Along with painting, he studied Classics. In Candia, he painted icons in the style of the post Byzantine Cretan School. In 1567, he left Candia for Venice where he studied under the great Venetian painter Titian and was influenced by the Venetian school of the Renaissance that was full of color. He lived in Rome from 1570-1577 as a guest at the Palace of Cardinal Alexandro Farnese where he met many intellectuals. In 1577, he left for Spain in order to work on the decoration of the Escorial Palace. He settled in Toledo, the former imperial capital of Spain. He received important commissions and painted some of his most famous works. Far from the influence of the Italians and the intrigues of Court, El Greco discovered his inner self and created an art of deep spirituality. The elements of Byzantium, the Renaissance, and Mannerism were fused into his original unique style. He died in Toledo in 1614, never returning to his home. He always sighed his words in Greek with Byzantine characters Domenicos Theotokopoulos the Greek.
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“The Concert of Angels” El Greco painting is one of his last paintings in 1614. The painting is vibrant with inner life. “St. Peter” is a realistic gazing beyond the viewer. “The Entombment of Christ” belongs to the Roman period of El Greco’s life. He conveys feelings of sadness of the holy women.
The National Gallery is an art museum located on Vasilisis Sofias avenue in the Pangrati district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century to the 20th century. The newly renovated building reopened after an 8 year refurbishment, on 24 March 2021, a day before the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence.4 Special Appreciation to our friends Erica and Doris who were our guides.
References:
1, Hanson, Victor Davis. “The End of Everything: How Wars Descend Into Annihilation,” Hachette Book Group, Inc., New York, 2024, p.8
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_(Athens)
