Michael Astrapas and Eutychios ( (flourished 1294 to 1317) were

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic; Greek: ) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the F ...

painters from

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. They had a very active workshop in the area and some of their work survived. Famous Thessalonian painter

Manuel Panselinos Manuel Panselinos () was a Byzantine Greek painter and writer of the Palaeologan Renaissance, known for introducing pathos into frescos, murals and especially icons from the 13th and 14th centuries. He was active in the region of Macedonia, and w ...

was active around the same period. Thessaloniki was considered the second capital of the Byzantine Empire. The region featured many iconographic workshops. Most historians consider

the epicenter of the Macedonian School of painting during the Palaeologan Renaissance. Other prominent

Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...

ists were

Ioannis Pagomenos Ioannis Pagomenos (, c.1285–after 1340) was a Greek painter in the Byzantine style active in Venetian-ruled Crete. He created fresco cycles for rural Orthodox churches under commission from ordinary members of the local peasant communities, w ...

Theophanes the Greek Theophanes the Greek (; ; – ) was a Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek artist, active mainly in Russia. He greatly influenced the style of painting in Novgorod and Moscow in the 15th century. He is also known as being the teacher and mentor o ...

and Theodore Apsevdis. The

Byzantine style Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the fall of the ...

influenced countless Italian and Greek artists. The style eventually evolved into the Maniera Greca.

History

Michael Astrapas and Eutychios were active painters in Northern Greece and the Macedonian region. Not much is known about the artists. Luckily they signed their work with signatures or monograms almost hidden in their frescoes on the garments of some saints, the weapons or armory of holy warriors or on items. There are documented stories about the work that did not survive. There were many active iconographic workshops in

. It was the second capital of the Byzantine Empire.

had a famous workshop in the same geographic region. The artists followed the traditional

. Michael Astrapas and Eutychios traveled all over the empire from modern Greece, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The artists were invited to Serbia by king

Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Saint King, was the King of Serbia between 1282–1321, a member of the Nemanjić dynasty. He was one ...

. They were also hired by other patrons to work in their dominions on commissions as

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

painters. The names Michael and Eutychios were persevered in the inscriptions of four churches at Staro Nagoricino, Prizren, Banjani, and Ohrid. The frescoes exhibit strong chiaroscuro and heavy folds within the heavy drapery. There is a frescos cycle outlining the life of Mary including the Dormition. This can be found in the prothesis of the Church of Saint George. One theory explains that Eutychios Astrapas was Michael Astrapas's father. Markovic explains that because of the difference in painting styles a plausible argument can be made that there is a father-son relationship between the two artists. Some of the work was signed the hand of Michael, son of Eutychios.

Gallery

File:Konstantinos Cabasilas Ohrid Perivleptos.jpg, Fresco of Constantine Cavassila (possibly a work of Panselinos) File:Michael Astrapas and Eutychios Matthew the Apostle.png, Matthew the Apostle File:Staro Nagorichane St.George Ascension of Our Lady.jpg, St.George Ascension of Our Lady File:The Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple, Church of St. Joachim and Anne, King's Church in Studenica, 1313-14.jpg, Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple 1313–14. File:Michael Astrapas and Eutychios Resurrection.png, Resurrection File:Michael Astrapas and Eutychios Baptism of Jesus.png, Baptism of Jesus File:Michael Astrapas and Eutychios Doubting of Thomas.png, Doubting of Thomas

Notable works

* Church of St. Mary Peribleptos in Ohrid (1294) *Church of Saint Niketas at Čucer Sandevo (before 1315) * Church of Our Lady of Ljeviš in

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

(1307) * Church of Saint George at Staro Nagoričane (1317)

References

External links

Ohrid-St Kliment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael Astrapas and Eutychios Greek painters Byzantine painters 13th-century Byzantine artists Byzantine Thessalonians 13th-century births 14th-century deaths Christianity in medieval Macedonia Art duos People from the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) 13th-century Byzantine people 14th-century Byzantine artists 13th-century Greek painters 14th-century Greek painters Greek icon painters Fresco painters

History

Gallery

Notable works

See also

References

Further reading

External links