Gerasimos Pitsamanos or Pitzamanos (; 6 March 1787 – 5 December 1825) was a Greek architect and a portrait painter. Most of his known works are

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

s.⁷

Biography

He was born in the Ionian Islands to a family that was originally from

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. His grandfather Konstantinos, a priest and painter, had come from there to work on the Church of the

Holy Unmercenaries Holy Unmercenaries () is an epithet applied to a number of Christian saints who did not accept payment for good deeds. These include Christian healers or physicians who, in conspicuous opposition to medical practice of the day, tended to the ...

. His father, Vikentios, was also a priest and painter, so his artistic inclinations were encouraged and, after beginning his studies at home, was sent to

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...

to work with

Nikolaos Kantounis Nikolaos Kantounis or Kandounis (; 1767–1834) was a Greeks, Greek priest, painter and teacher who did not follow the traditional Italo-Byzantine, Maniera Greca. His teacher was the famous painter Nikolaos Koutouzis. He began to incorporate the ...

.Brief biography
@ Paletaart. Pitzamanos-Maitland

In 1802, not long after the creation of the

Septinsular Republic The Septinsular Republic (; ), also known as the Republic of the Seven United Islands, was an oligarchic republic that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Islands (Corfu, Paxoi, Lefkada, Cephalon ...

, he joined the Republic's army and became a captain in the engineering corps. Five years later, when the area reverted to French control, he was appointed Director of the

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...

service and was assigned to map the islands and the coastal areas of

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

. In 1809, he was part of a diplomatic mission to Ali Pasha. Later that year, the Ionian Senate sent him to Rome to complete his studies at public expense.Brief biography
@ the

National Gallery of Athens The National Gallery (, ''Ethniki Pinakothiki'') is an art museum located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in the Pangrati district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century to the 20th century. The newly renov ...

While there, he not only studied painting, but was involved in architecture and sculpture as well, becoming an associate of

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italians, Italian Neoclassical sculpture, Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was ins ...

. In 1812, he was named an honorary member of the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca () is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its first ''principe'' or director; ...

. During that time, he designed a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

, celebrating Napoleon's marriage and victories in Germany. His designs earned him the

Order of the Reunion The Order of the Reunion () was an order of merit of the First French Empire, set up to be awarded to Frenchmen and foreigners to reward services in the civil service, magistracy and army, particularly those from areas newly annexed to France, such ...

. In 1814, he returned home and worked as an architect for the civil service. A year later, when the islands changed hands again, he went to Paris, where he met with

Adamantios Korais Adamantios Korais or Koraïs ( ; ; ; 27 April 17486 April 1833) was a Greek scholar credited with laying the foundations of modern Greek literature and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment. His activities paved the way for the Greek War ...

, who was unsuccessful at convincing him to become an art teacher and work at Korais' school on

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

. However, when the British regained control in 1817, he accepted a teaching position at the

Ionian Academy The Ionian Academy () was the first Greek academic institution established in modern times. It was located in Corfu. It was established by the French during their administration of the island as the ''département'' of Corcyre, and became a univer ...

. In 1818, Sir

Frederick Adam General Sir Frederick Adam (17 June 178117 August 1853) was a Scottish major-general at the Battle of Waterloo, in command of the 3rd (Light) Brigade. He was the fourth son of William Adam of Blair Adam and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of ...

invited him along on trips to Ottoman occupied territories in Greece, where he made numerous sketches. They arrived in Istanbul in 1820, just before the beginning of the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

, and he was initiated into a secret patriotic organization known as "

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odesa, Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule in Ottoman Greece, Greece and establish an Independenc ...

". Following his participation in a protest-themed stage play, he had to seek refuge in the British Embassy. In 1821,

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias's ...

, who was then serving as Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire, invited him to work in Saint Petersburg as the court architect. He accepted but, a few years later, was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and went to Italy seeking a cure. When it became obvious that he would not recover, he returned to Corfu, where he died, aged only thirty-eight.

Gallery

File:Pitzamanos-Lady.jpg, Portrait of a Lady File:Pitzamanos-Portrait of Benakis.jpg, Portrait of

Panagiotis Benakis Panagiotis Benakis (; c. 17001771) was a Greek businessman from Kalamata in the 18th century, during the Ottoman rule over Greece, he was in contact of Catherine the Great during the Orlov Revolt. He was born in Kalamata in ca. 1700, the son o ...

File:Gerasimos Pitzamanos, self portrait 1820.jpg, Self-portrait (1820) File:Pitzamanos-Lady and Daughter.jpg, An Athenian Lady and Her Daughter File:Three Cittadini or Popolari from Zakynthos town.jpg, Three Cittadini File:Three Zakynthians peasants.jpg, Three Zakynthians

References

External links

An Allegory of the Septinsular Republic
@ Art Corfu.
Works by Pitzamanos
@ Pandektis. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitzamanos, Gerasimos 1787 births 1825 deaths Greek portrait painters Greek watercolourists People from Argostoli 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Greek architects Members of the Filiki Eteria 18th-century Greek painters 19th-century Greek painters Painters of the Heptanese school United States of the Ionian Islands people Tuberculosis deaths in Greece

Biography

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links