Theophanes the Cretan
Theophanes Strelitzas, known as Theophanes the Cretan ( Greek Θεοφάνης Στρελίτζας Theofanis Strelitsas , also Theophanes Bathas , * around 1500 in Heraklion ; † 1559 ibid) was a Greek monk and pioneering painter of the Cretan school .
Theophanes was trained as an icon painter in Heraklion . He was active from around 1527 to 1548, albeit not in Crete, but in mainland Greece. He trained his sons and several students, many of them from Crete.
He was best known for his frescoes . His first known work are the wall paintings in the monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapavsas in Meteora from 1527. The depiction of Jonas below the cafeteria of the monastery church is particularly impressive and puzzling. Another special feature is the depiction of Adam , who is supposed to give the creatures their name, as well as the depiction of the Last Judgment with an oversized hell's jaws to the right of the passage door to the church.
In 1535 Theophanes and his two sons Symeon and Neophytos became monks in the monastery of Megisti Lavra on Mount Athos . Between 1535 and 1540 he worked in the Megisti Lavra monastery. The frescoes The Massacre of the Innocent and The Transfiguration are particularly worth seeing . In 1545 and 1546 he painted The Last Supper in the Stavronikita Monastery . The wall paintings in the monasteries of the holy mountain are the focus of his work.
His icons can be found in the Athos monasteries Megisti Lavra (1535), Ivrion (1535–1545), Pantocrator (1535–1545), Stavronikita (1545–1546) and Grigorios (approx. 1546).
His work The Great Intercession ( Deësis ) in Karyes was groundbreaking for the following generations.
- Frescoes by Theophanes in the Stavronikita Monastery, Athos
Last Supper
Jesus in Golgotha
crucifixion
Lamentation of Christ
Web links
- Patrick Comerford “The Cretan School of Icons and its contribution to Western Art”
- Theophanes' frescoes
- King David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, fresco in Stavronikita Monastery, Athos
- Biography on Artnet.com (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Theophanes the Cretan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Theophanes Strelitzas; Theofanis Strelitzas; Theophanes Streletzas; Theophanes Bathas; Theophanes of Crete |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greek monk and painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1500 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Heraklion |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1559 |
| Place of death | Heraklion |