Nikolaos Gyzis: Chronicler of 19th Century Realism

 There are so many artists who either were famous in their time and later forgotten or the opposite - not given much credit to their lifetime, but are famous now. This week's artist falls into the former. 

Born on the Greek island of Tinos, Nikolaos Gyzis (1842-1901)  

trained in art in both Athens and later in Germany, where he would become a professor of Fine Art in Munich. He is considered to be one of the most influential artists of Academic Realism in the late 19th century. 

 

 

 

 

Gyzis created a genre series that is compelling based on his years growing up in Greece. It was seeing one of his paintings, in his evolution as an artist, that deeply touched me. It's a grandfather holding his sleeping grandchild while he mends a sock.(The Greek families have a special regard for their grandparents. Insofar as I've experienced, there are still special ties between grandparents and grandchildren.)*

 

 

His touching paintings of 19th century life are mixed here with a few of his excellent portraits. It's no wonder that he received so many awards and recognition. For some reason, perhaps because he painted so many genre paintings, I found myself thinking, "He's the Norman Rockwell of another century." What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

*When the first boy child is born, he is given the name of his paternal grandfather. A second boy child is given the name of his maternal grandfather. For the first girl child, she is given the name of her maternal grandmother and the paternal grandmother for a subsequent girl child. The genius of carrying it through is heightened because until modern days, birthday celebrations were nominal. It was the saint's name feast day that the grandparent shared with the their grandchildren that was celebrated. 

 

Access: Greek Islands

It was so much fun to walk through the old town of Naxos and take photos. The effects of history and nature are readily apparent.

There are the remnants of the conquerors: sea-etched marbles of Roman temples, rubble of Venetian castles with rusty brass door knockers, and deteriorating monasteries as remembrances of the Crusades

The town set high on a hill and faces out to sea, evidence of vigilance, allowing time to alert islanders of approaching sieges from pirates or conquerors. The streets are narrow, winding and twisting with low arches –- a labyrinth designed to slow armed advancements. Doorways are narrow and low – the better to defend one’s home.

Nature also exacts a price for its gifts of sun and sea life. Battering storms, wind, and salty breezes make all things metal rust. Paint flakes off. Plaster peels, revealing stones.
Vigilance of another sort, therefore, is required to maintain man-made structures.

Even new, white, angular buildings etched against azure skies eventually submit to sun, storms and the sea’s salt.

I took over 500 photos and will create a series of 30-35 in oil on canvas in keeping with classicism. My wordsmith friend and I arrived at a title for the series: “Access: Greek Isles,” including vignettes of the history and nature of life on the islands are shown through the portals of entry….doors, windows, streets, and gates.

Three more are in various stages of completion and I'll post them as soon as they're ready. This way, you can walk with me through the town and see what I saw. (Please go to http://www.r-atencio.com/gallery/access_greece/access_greece.html to see enlargements. I rushed to get the doors up for you to see. None of the others are ready yet. )

Here I Is... Finally

Kalispera! I finally found an Internet Cafe in Naxos. (A lot of stores won't open until the tourists arrive in late May or early June.) So let's begin because I've been viewing many things with the thought of sharing with you...

FLIGHT: All was right until I arrived at Charles de Gaulle (CDG)in Paris. Talk about security and attitude... plus they won't speak except in French (Intl. Airport!) You don't understand? They just speak louder and gesture more emphatically.

You know how when we had a "shoe bomber" they started making shoe scanning part of the drill? Well, at CDG they've almost taken the "underwear bomber" seriously. All scarves, even little neck kerchiefs and every piece of loose clothing such as suit jackets, cardigan sweaters and so forth must be removed for scanning. I think the next trip through CDG, I'll wear some fancy underwear - just in case they've gone to the logical (illogical) next step!!

ATHENS: Clear and warm with a slight breeze. I didn't spend much time there, but I did take in the view of the Acropolis (I had toured it on a previous trip) and went to the new Archeological Museum. The night photo was from my hotel room. It's a little hard to distinguish, but the area that's ablaze is the view from the balcony of my room and the little sliver on the right is the moon.The other two photos are the view of the Acropolis on the path to the museum and through the window at the museum.

The first paragraph and below are photos I took at the museum of the ancient city. The digs continue under the floor of the museum which has a floor made of material you can walk over and peer down into the ruins. (Yes, the shadow in the second one is me with a big smile - just in case you couldn't tell.)



Having had a university class on the history of the Parthenon Frieze, seeing reproductions up close in the museum really gave the lectures new life. The Parthenon occupies the third floor. The pottery shards and statues have been reconstructed. It's a wonderful museum if the subject is of interest to you. Better yet, everything is labeled in Greek and English. Sorry, no photos allowed.

NAXOS: The next day I took the Blue Ferry from the port of Piraeus to Naxos. After a 5 1/2 hour journey, we arrived in Naxos. Unfortunately, it was night so no photos entering the port. Here's a photo of the Blue Ferry with people, cars, trucks, semis and even an ambulance seemingly belched out of the great beast.

That's it for now - except to thank Barb for letting me know status. Much appreciated!

Let me hear from you. Comment below.

NEXT TIME: Naxos & Friends.

Adio, R.

In a Naxos Mood

Today's blog is not about art. It may qualify as being more about life. You see, dear reader, I'm going on vacation to Greece next week. I'll be spending a few days in Athens taking in the sites. From there, I take the large ferry (and several hours) to the island of Naxos. You've learned a lot about Athens, I thought in this blog I'd share somethings about Naxos.

Naxos is located in the Aegean sea in the chain of islands known as the Cyclades. It is the largest and most mountainous of these islands. Mount Zas on Naxos often has snow in the winter - something we don't usually associate with the Greek islands.

It has the reputation as a bread-basket island. As you approach from the sea, it looks rocky and scrubby, but it has many small streams running down from the mountains. As such, it has been self sustaining in its farming, dairy and livestock. (Although I'm not so sure about that anymore since many people from colder European climates have come to build homes on Naxos to take advantage of the early summers in this Southern location.)

For the month of April, I won't be posting a weekly art blog. Instead, I am going to check out some internet cafes to try and send posts and photos to you. If all goes well, I'll be posting every few days in the form of a journal. Be sure to check back towards the end of next week when I'm settled in. I should have photos of Athens and beyond.

One last thing... I won't be checking and responding to email while I'm gone. If you want to reach me, please make comments at this blog. (Nothing too personal please as everyone can read it.)In the meantime, here are a few images of Naxos...