2 CORFU PANORAMA English_1

Painting - Sculpture -Engraving
The Heptanese School is the first Greek artistic movement
with clear Western European influences, which appeared in
the Ionian Islands in the mid-17 th century.
The Ionian Islands from the 17 th to the 19 th century were
under the Venetian, French and English occupation.
The relative freedom the residents enjoyed, their economic
well-being and their cultural relations with the nearby Italy
resulted in the creation of the Ionian Islands as the place
where the Greek painting left the Byzantine tradition and
turned towards the West.
The creation of the Heptanese School contributed in the
relocation of many Cretan painters in the Ionian Islands
when Crete passed from the Venetian rule to the Ottoman.
Among the major painters of the so called Cretan-Zante
Academy of the 16 th and 17 th century are Michael Damaskinos,
Dimitris and George Moschos, Manolis and Konstantinos
Tzanes and Stefanos Tsagkarolos.
The shift toward the Western art was manifested in the end
of the 17 th century, with the abandonment of traditional
Byzantine forms.
The paintings, influenced mainly by the Italian Baroque and
the Flemish painting, began to acquire depth, i.e. giving the
sense of the third dimension of space, to become more
natural and acquire increasingly more cosmic themes.
In addition, the Ionians painters, instead of egg, they began
using oil as a color binder, and instead of a plank they began
using a canvas.
The first samples of the Western-style Heptanese School
appeared on the decorations of the ceilings of churches,
known as “Ouranies” or “sofita”.
The pioneer of this change was Panagiotis Doxaras
(1662-1723). He encouraged a naturalistic representation
of figures, and introduced bold innovations marking the
departure from the forms and values of Byzantine art.
The main painters
Emmanuel Tzanes “Mpounialis” (1610-1690) was a Greek
painter of the Renaissance. His works are displayed at the
church of St Jason and Sosipatros, in Panagia of Xenon, the
Byzantine Museum, etc.
The litany of Saint Spyridon in
Esplanade (Spianada) in Corfu.
Gravure (1821)
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