My Greek Odyssey

El Greco: The Movie

Doménikos Theotokópoulos known as "El Greco" is considered one of the most important painters in the history of the Western world, and his career, which alternated between the Byzantine style of Crete, where he was born and the mannerism of his latter years in Italy and Spain. El Greco, despite embracing the spirit of the Counter Reformation in his painting, continued to include many elements stemming from Greek Orthodox tradition during his final period in Toledo. In pictures such as El Expolio (‘The Disrobing of Christ’), the painter makes use of Byzantine iconography, although  this was not necessarily done consciously.

"El Greco" is the 2007 film by Greek director Yannis Smaragdis. It did very well in Greece but less so elsewhere. Shooting took place in Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete,  Toledo (Spain) and Athens (Greece). Vangelis provided the musical score for the film. It is the second time Vangelis and Smaragdis worked on a film together, after their successful cooperation during the production of "Kavafis" in 1996. It is no coincidence either, as according to Smaragdis “it was his (Vangelis) idea, as well as some Cretan businessmen who provided the initial funding to begin production.” The subject is not new to Vangelis either, as in 1995 he dedicated a entire new album to the paintings of El Greco ("FOROS TIMIS STON GREKO") to raise funds for the purchase of Theotokopoulos' painting 'Saint Peter' by the National Gallery (Alexandros Soutzos Museum) in Athens.

According to Smaragidis:  “It is the epic story of a Greek artist who refused to compromise, a fighter for freedom. It is a journey of light which tries to transcend the darkness of its times and reach the realm of the divine.  I was born in Heraklion in Crete, 300 meters away from the house of El Greco. I lived under the sky that gave birth to him, I was baptized in the sea in which he swam, I loved the same Cretans that brought him to the world and I yearned for the same journey beyond the sea that entraps our island, Crete. The Cretans are a strange clan of Greeks with their own distinct characteristics. They are uncompromising and free  but also great lovers of the pleasures of life and adventure. This strange and creative individual, El Greco, in whom lives the great soul of his land, has won international recognition by preserving the characteristics of his clan during the hardships, and did not yield even before his greatest adversary, the Holy Inquisition. He is a hero that draws the juices of life, strange and fascinating, who fought against the darkness and ignorance of his time and won. A positive figure who can become a role model for the people of today and tomorrow, and give faith and hope to each of us to find our own way to freedom."

The young British actor Nick Ashdon plays the title role, while the script, based on a story by Dimitris Nollas and Panayiotis Paschidis (from Dimitris Siatopoulos’ book "The Painter of God") has been co-written by UK writer Jackie Pavlenko (together with Smaragdis). The film also features local actor and comedian Lakis Lazopoulos, who plays a Cretan shepherd that was Theotokopoulos' companion and protector in his travels. Smaragdis describes Lazopoulos as “a character who plays the role of the country’s conscience, a reflection of its spirit.”

The Fayum Portraits

The Fayum portraits are a collection of 1st to 3rd century portraits made up mostly of Greek colonists of ancient Egypt. These colonists settled in cities like Alexandria after the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great and its subsequent rule by Greek Kings. They are among the best surviving portraits of antiquity. Scattered in museums such as the British Museum, The Louvre, and the Museum of Art in New York, they represent some of the finest examples of Greek art, providing us with snapshots depicting some of our Greek ancestors.  Looking at them one has the eerie feeling that he is meeting some long lost relatives for the first time. They were made with hot, pigmented wax on wooden panels, which were completed during the life of the individual and displayed in their home, this custom belonged to the traditions of Greek Art. After the person was deceased, the portrait panel was placed over the mummified individuals face.  The surviving paintings are predominantly from the Fayum region in Egypt and were completed during Hellenistic and Roman periods in this province, which had been settled primarily by Greek colonists, many of whom were soldier-veterans. The practice was common and the painters of the Fayum were either Greek residents dating from the Ptolemaic period of the late 4th century B.C., or those who had inherited the Greek artistic tradition. According to Eurosyne Doxiadis in her book entitled "The Mysterious Fayum Portraits: Faces from Ancient Egypt" the dry climate of the region preserved many of the paintings until today. 

Paintings of this type, were often painted in the elaborate technique, using pigments mixed with hot or cold beeswax and other ingredients such as egg, resin, and linseed oil. This versatile medium allowed artists to create images that in many ways are akin to oil paintings in Western art. The boy's head, for instance, stands out with an impression of real depth from the light olive-colored background. His face is modeled with flowing strokes of the brush and a subtle blend of light and dark colors. Shadows on the left side of the face, neck, and garment and bright shiny spots on the forehead and below the right eye indicate a strong source of light on the boy's right. Most arresting are the eyes, dark brown with black pupils that reflect the light with bright spots. This manner of painting, which is very different from the traditional Egyptian style but was well known in Greco-Roman Egypt, originated in Classical Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.

For more portraits see the collection here.