To the origins
Cretan history is full of legends. The myths of Daedalus, Theseus and Icarus have nourished the imagination of artists since the dawn of time. In this respect, it is impossible to overlook the palace of Knossos, located a few kilometres from Heraklion. Legend has it that it was the home of King Minos, the legendary builder of the labyrinth in which he enclosed the Minotaur, defeated by the valiant Theseus and the ingenious Ariadne. Nowadays, this palace reveals a range of major frescoes in more than one way. It is worth noting that the tradition of mural painting is still alive and well in Crete. In the mythical residence, the frescoes show a bullfighting scene, the portrait of three graceful goddesses in profile, a dancer, and the shields of the grand staircase. The king's throne is a combination of gypsum sculpture and painted griffins. In the queen's bedroom, the walls are enlivened by the dolphins' water games. All these paintings are strikingly elegant. Dating from the 15th or 16th century B.C., they belong to the neopalatial period, characterized by the preponderant place of art in the Cretan civilization. The trade then ensures the prosperity of the Cretans who aspire to more comfort and ornamentation. Ceramics became more refined, and naturalistic, vegetal and marine motifs replaced schematic details. On the bas-reliefs, the first animal figures emerge from the stone. Statuettes of female deities, mainly in bronze, also abound during this period of splendour.
Mycenaean Art
Crete came under Mycenaean domination around 1450 BC. Ceramics attest to the influence that Cretan artists exerted on the Mycenaeans. The Mycenaeans took up their very particular technique which allowed them to patiently refine the clay. The potter thus shapes vases with extremely thin walls, or "egg shells". The decorations are based on geometrical lines combined with stylized natural elements. Throughout its history, the island has served as a stopover due to its geographical location. The Roman Empire, in full expansion, is no exception to the rule. But after the division of the Empire, Crete came under the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire. This double heritage, Latin and Byzantine, permeates its culture forever.
Byzantine influence
Many Byzantine artists fleeing the Ottomans made Crete their home. They bring with them the tradition of Constantinople. The collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantineart in Chania isnoteworthy. Here we find frescoes from churches, but also a mosaic that adorned the floor of a 6th century basilica, and magnificent icons, such as that of a 17th century Saint George on horseback.After a period of slumber, the Byzantine tradition was revived in the last years of the Venetian occupation. This period, known as the Cretan Renaissance, is the result of the Italian Renaissance.
The archaeological museum of Agios Nikolaos exhibits beautiful pieces of Minoan art, and the astonishing goddess of Myrtos, a stylized statuette whose body takes the shape of a vase surmounted by a long neck; but it is in the ethnographic museum of the village that one can admire splendid icons of Byzantine origin.
To feel both the Byzantine and Venetian influence, just stroll through the narrow streets of Krista. This village had its heyday during the centuries of Byzantine and then Venetian domination, as evidenced by its places of worship, in particular the Panagia Kera church, formed by the union of three chapels, which contains the best preserved frescoes of the Byzantine period in the whole of Crete. Dating from the early years of the Renaissance (13th century), their sparkling colours seem to be eternal. Legend has it that the church housed an icon of the Virgin Mary capable of performing miracles. In the nave, the frescoes dedicated to Mary illustrate the Assumption, while the dome evokes scenes from the New Testament.Cretan Renaissance
For four centuries, the Venetian presence gave rise to a flourishing exchange between the populations. The intellectual and artistic life contrasts with the economic and social crisis of the time. In the 13th century, the Latin tradition logically influenced Cretan art. At that time, there is no evidence of the existence of schools in Crete. The children of wealthy families went to study in Italy and brought back to their island the breath of the Italian Renaissance. However, the steam was reversed so that the Venetian settlers became Hellenized. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Cretan Renaissance blossomed. This century is that of Mikhail Damaskinos (1530-1592), artist considered one of the greatest icon painters of the Cretan School. His work, which combines elements of Byzantine and Renaissance art, is in line with the school of the monastery of Agia Ekaterini which flourished until the end of the Venetian period. In all likelihood, Damaskinos was one of El Greco's masters. He stayed in Venice between 1577 and 1582. His treatment of perspective reveals clear Italian influences. His Byzantine-style works can be admired in the Agia Ekaterini Church in Heraklion, while his icons are on display in the Museum of Religious Art in Heraklion.
El Greco
Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco (1541-1614), was born in Fodele, near Heraklion. He probably benefited from the teaching of Damaskinos, before spending a few years in Venice, then throughout Italy where he benefited from the influence of Bassano and Tintoretto, before working in the workshop of Titian. After his stay in Rome, in 1577 he moved to Toledo, where he established himself as one of the greatest artists of the Spanish Baroque. His style is characterized by the elongation of the figures, the strangeness of the lighting, the unreality of the composition and the mysticism. The works that El Greco was able to paint in Crete were unknown until the discovery in 1983, in the church of Ermoupolis in Syros, of an icon signed by his hand. Byzantine in its theme (the Virgin) and the general arrangement of the figures, this painting prefigures the influence of the Renaissance in its decorative motifs. In the Historical Museum of Heraklion is exhibited her View of Mount Sinai and the monastery. A garden in the city centre bears his name. All over Crete, many places, hotels and restaurants are named after El Greco. In 2014, several events celebrated the 400th anniversary of his death. The El Greco Museum is housed in the Fodele house where the master lived, opposite the Byzantine church of Panagia which inspired him so much. It reveals skillful copies, objects from his daily life, his reconstructed studio and information about the artist's family and life.Street Art
Between Crete and mural art, a great love story has been written for centuries. The fresco, a pictorial tradition inherited from the Byzantine culture, is integrated on the island with the most pleasant ease.
Far from shouting their dissatisfaction, the street artists maintain a symbiotic relationship with the natural environment. It is impossible to say whether the paintings embellish the streets or whether the landscape enhances the murals. In Heraklion, walking the streets promises beautiful surprises. The themes, although varied, are often treated figuratively and the drawings are pleasantly decorative. Here, no disguised claims but street scenes in the street. Trees among the trees, or, even more surprisingly, animals in the savannah gushing out of an electricity meter, or an elephant on the corner of a wall. Enough to treat yourself to a visit at the lowest possible cost without depriving yourself of the clement climate. Graffiti is so much a part of island life that the capital launched its street-art festival in 2016. During four days, all street arts are put in the spotlight with the idea of promoting young creation: musicians, dancers, painters, graffiti artists, theatre actors, jugglers animate Heraklion.
For its part, Chania also reserves its discoveries at all crossroads, always in this spirit of beautification perfectly integrated into the architecture and the Cretan gentle way of life that we love so much.Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Rethymno has been established in the heart of the old town, under the Venetian fort and the archaeological museum. Since 2009, this exhibition space has merged with the gallery dedicated to the painter Lefteris Kanakakis and the Contemporary Art Centre. The 600 works of Greek art in the permanent collection cover the period from 1950 to the present day, from abstraction to digital creation. It includes oils, drawings and watercolours by Lefteris Kanakakis, a child of the village (1934-1985). After studying at the Athens Beaux-Arts, Kanakakis continued his training in Paris. His painting themes are still lifes and interiors, in a naturalistic style. At the end of his career, he evokes the political situation by introducing symbolic objects (flags, medals or trumpets) without abandoning his work on the female nude and the portrait. The small port of Viannos miraculously saw the collection of contemporary Greek art of the Savvas Petrakis Gallery grow. In an old oil mill, close to the beach, the museum brings together an exceptional number of talents. The reason for its richness can be explained by its history, which is that of a dream come true. While in hospital, Petrakis had a trigger: he asked some Cretans to donate a work of art to make his project come true. Some called him crazy. But very quickly, and thanks to the support of the sculptor Kyriakos Rokos, his collection took on an unexpected scale. From now on, no less than 200 works signed by generous Greek artists will delight visitors.
