Assumption of Mary was a painting created by Greek painter Nikolaos Doxaras. He was the son of famous Greek painter

Panagiotis Doxaras Panagiotis Doxaras (; 1662–1729), also known as Panayiotis Doxaras, was an author and painter. He was a prolific member of the Heptanese school. He was influenced by early members of the movement namely: Elias Moskos, Theodoros Poulakis, ...

. Nikolaos flourished on the Ionian Islands. He was a representative of the Heptanese School. He traveled all of the Ionian Islands painting. He spent close to a decade in Venice. He had a relationship with Johann Schulenberg. Doxaras stayed with him from 1730 to 1738 at the Palazzo Loredan. He was his confidant at the Schulenburg Art Gallery. He also painted for Schulenburg. He left Venice and continued painting all over the Ionian islands until his death. He was active from 1725 to 1775. Five of his paintings survived. Both Nikolaos and his father attempted to popularize oil painting. There was an overwhelming demand by churches and patrons for the traditional Greek style paintings that overshadowed oil paintings few Greek artists such as

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

were able to successfully maintain a workshop with an overwhelming output. The integration of Flemish engravings by artists of the Heptanese School made it even more difficult for oil painters and the style was not popular. Nicholas Doxaras and his father

attempted to integrate the new style but they were unsuccessful. Their contemporaries

Emmanuel Tzanes Emmanuel Tzanes (; 1610 – 28 March 1690), also known as Bounialis (), Emmanuel Tzane-Bounialis, Emmanuel Zane, or Emmanuel Tzane, was a Greek Renaissance iconographer, author, clergyman, and educator. He spent the latter half of his life in Ve ...

and

Theodore Poulakis Theodore Poulakis (; 1622–1692) was a Greek Renaissance painter and teacher. He is considered the father of the Heptanese school and one of the most prolific painters of Venetian Crete. Poulakis was a member of the Cretan school, his contemp ...

each maintain a catalog of over 130 paintings. They painted in the Greek style popular at that period in time. The Assumption of Mary is one of the most popular themes in Greek and Italian art from the inception of the new religion. The event is the death of the Virgin Mary. The theme was popular in Greek Italian Byzantine art. The theme also dominated Italian Renaissance painting. Precursors to Doxara's work included

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

, and

. The paintings usually feature the Virgin in the heavens looking down at her followers and witnesses. The work of art belongs to the National Gallery of Athens. It is currently on display at the Annex of the National Gallery in Corfu on the Ionian Islands.

History

The work of art was created using oil paint and canvas. The height of the painting is: 45 cm (17.7 in) and the width is 34 cm (13.3 in). The painting bears similarities to Tintoretto's ''Assumption'' in both works angels hold up the Virgin Mary. A few of the bearded figures below also reflect Tintoretto's masterpiece.

and

's paintings all feature the Virgin in the same orientation. The Virgin Mary floats in the heavens. In the Doxaras, her heavenly robe levitates as an angel holds her garment. The painter's shadows ideally reflect deeper space and create adequate spatial depth. The clouds attempt to reflect an aura of divinity. To our right, the painter adds a complex structure to reflect a three-dimensional environment. The building features straight lines and ninety-degree angles. Towards the lower portion of the canvas. A group of ten witnesses partake in the heavenly event. The painter chose oil paint over the traditional tempera. The oil paint gave Doxaras more time to work with his canvas. Tempera is fast drying and requires soft hair and bristle strokes. The artist cannot use

impasto Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface thickly, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides tex ...

. The blue color dominates the canvas. The geometric shape of the lower figure continues to illustrate deeper space. The garments were painted with adequate light and shadow to establish form and volume.

Gallery

File:Tizian 041.jpg, The Assumption

File:Domenikos Theotokópoulos, called El Greco - The Assumption of the Virgin - Google Art Project.jpg, Assumption

File:Jacopo Tintoretto - The Assumption - WGA22445.jpg, The Assumption

References

{{Heptanese School (painting) 18th-century paintings Paintings in Greece Paintings of the Heptanese school