“Byzantium Revisited: A Focus on Modern Greek Painting”

In this workshop exploring examples of European culture from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries – including theater, cinema, poetry, and painting – I will discuss the strong interest that Western Europeans had in Byzantine culture. At first glance, the common threads uniting the work of such disparate Greek artists as Costis Parthenis, Photis Contoglou, Yiannis Tsarouchis, Aghinor Asteriadis, and surrealist Nikos Engonopoulos may not be apparent. Yet upon closer examination, it’s clear that each of these artists had a passion for Byzantine culture. Incorporating traditional and modern elements into their work proved essential to creating a new visual discourse.