Giddy up!

It would not be an over exaggeration to name Nikolaus Gysis as one of the most esteemed Greek artists of the 19th century, not only for his classically inspired allegorical works but for the momentous role he played in representing Greek art in Munich. Having settled and studied at the School of Fine Arts in Athens in 1850, Gysis' natural painting style and elegant visions would always remain tokens of his attachment to his beloved homeland, although a scholarship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich signalled the beginning of his affinity to the German art scene.
Gysis' role of Professor at the Academy of Munich was reflected in his exploration of a more figurative, Impressionistic style which influenced one student in particular, the artist Anna-May Rychter. For Nikolaus Gysis, the various locations involved in his life outwardly played a part in the themes of his artwork: after completing his first genre painting and most famous work Eros and the Painter in 1868, his return to Greece provoked a rebirth of typically Greek themed compositions and religious scenes which is typified in his enlightening painting Triumph of Religion.