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Lot Essay
We would like to thank Mr Kostas Didaskalou of the Museum of Thessalonika for authenticating this work on the basis of a photograph.
Nikolaos Gyzis, the most influential and prestigious Greek painter of his time, stands out for the variety of the subject matter present in his oeuvre. Gyzis' foremost interest was always man in the setting of an ordinary situation, sometimes humorous, festive or even tragic. The artist painted children of all ages and captured the emotional range from infancy to maturity. The artist was furthermore attracted to the portrayal of human figures in idealised surroundings.
Gyzis was born on the Aegean island of Tinos in 1842. At an early age, in 1850, he was sent to Athens for his education; in 1864 he graduated from the School of Fine Arts. A year later, after receiving a scholarship, he left for Munich to attend the Royal Academy of Arts, where in 1888, he was offered a permanent teaching position. Apart from two visits to Greece, one in 1872-74, the other in 1877, Gyzis spent the rest of his life in Munich.
Both academic and personal bonds developed between early Greek painters and Munich, giving rise to the Greek "Munich School" of painting. This early period in Greece is dominated by German academism resulting from the influence of the Academy of Munich, which many Greek artists attended. Many of these Munich School artists were interested in painting everyday Greek life, local customs, and living conditions. During the first years of his stay in Munich, Gyzis' works dealt predominantly with German subjects, with most of his oeuvre from this period falling within Genre painting.
Only after a visit to Greece did Greek, oriental and mythological themes began to appear in his work, which the present lots have the mark of. The artist introduced subject matters of ancient, mythological Greece, represented by powerful male figures, with distorted shoulders and body muscles, often moving in a way where the face remains mostly invisible. These motifs were drawn from the strong memories of Greece and Greek legendary scenes, which haunted him for the rest of his life.
The present compositions illustrate scenes where the protagonist is surrounded by different characters, be it children, animals or mythological gods. This was accompanied by the adoption of a brighter, more vivid, lively and more varied colour range, away from the predominant browns and greys of his earlier Genre pictures.
Nikolaos Gyzis, the most influential and prestigious Greek painter of his time, stands out for the variety of the subject matter present in his oeuvre. Gyzis' foremost interest was always man in the setting of an ordinary situation, sometimes humorous, festive or even tragic. The artist painted children of all ages and captured the emotional range from infancy to maturity. The artist was furthermore attracted to the portrayal of human figures in idealised surroundings.
Gyzis was born on the Aegean island of Tinos in 1842. At an early age, in 1850, he was sent to Athens for his education; in 1864 he graduated from the School of Fine Arts. A year later, after receiving a scholarship, he left for Munich to attend the Royal Academy of Arts, where in 1888, he was offered a permanent teaching position. Apart from two visits to Greece, one in 1872-74, the other in 1877, Gyzis spent the rest of his life in Munich.
Both academic and personal bonds developed between early Greek painters and Munich, giving rise to the Greek "Munich School" of painting. This early period in Greece is dominated by German academism resulting from the influence of the Academy of Munich, which many Greek artists attended. Many of these Munich School artists were interested in painting everyday Greek life, local customs, and living conditions. During the first years of his stay in Munich, Gyzis' works dealt predominantly with German subjects, with most of his oeuvre from this period falling within Genre painting.
Only after a visit to Greece did Greek, oriental and mythological themes began to appear in his work, which the present lots have the mark of. The artist introduced subject matters of ancient, mythological Greece, represented by powerful male figures, with distorted shoulders and body muscles, often moving in a way where the face remains mostly invisible. These motifs were drawn from the strong memories of Greece and Greek legendary scenes, which haunted him for the rest of his life.
The present compositions illustrate scenes where the protagonist is surrounded by different characters, be it children, animals or mythological gods. This was accompanied by the adoption of a brighter, more vivid, lively and more varied colour range, away from the predominant browns and greys of his earlier Genre pictures.