Philotheos Skoufos (also Filotheos; ; between 1615 and 1625 – 1685) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

painter, educator and clergyman during the 17th century. He collaborated with

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 ...

on several pieces while he was in Corfu. Philotheos was a member of the

Cretan School Cretan school describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the fall of Constantinople, beco ...

and Heptanese School. His work was influenced by the Venetian school. He was briefly affiliated with the famous Greek church in Venice

San Giorgio dei Greci San Giorgio dei Greci () is a church in the ''sestiere'' (neighborhood) of Castello, Venice, northern Italy. It was the center of the Scuola dei Greci, the Confraternity of the Greeks in Venice. Around this period there was a similar church in Na ...

and

Konstantinos Tzanes Konstantinos Tzanes (, 1633 – 1685; also known as Bounialis () Konstantinos Tzane-Bounialis, Konstantinos Zane, or Konstantinos Tzane) was a Greek Renaissance painter. He was a painter in Crete and Venice. His brother Emmanuel Tzanes was ...

were also in Venice around the same period and affiliated with

. He was the priest who presided over famous painter

Ioannis Moskos Ioannis Moskos (; 1635-44 – 1721) was a Greek painter that migrated to Venice. Two other very famous painters with the name Moskos were active around the same period Elias Moskos and Leos Moskos. Leos Moskos frequently traveled all over the ...

's wedding. Philotheos was active on the Ionian Island while

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 ...

and

Elias Moskos Ilias or Elias Moskos (; 1620/1629- January 26, 1687) was a Greek educator, shipping merchant and painter from Crete. The last name Moskos was associated with three famous painters of the Cretan school alive during the same period, along with Io ...

also had active workshops. Skoufos most popular works were the ''Stoning of St Stephen'' and the ''Virgin in the Temple''.

History

Skoufos was born on the island of Crete. He was a monk at the Chryssopigi Monastery Crete. While he was in Crete he learned painting. The

Cretan War (1645–1669) The Cretan War (; ), also known as the War of Candia () or the fifth Ottoman–Venetian war, was a conflict between the Republic of Venice and her allies (chief among them the Knights of Malta, the Papal States and France) against the Ottoman ...

broke out. He fled to

Souda Souda () is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chania, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . It is an imp ...

. He later joined 34 monks in the military branch of Saint Basil's. He bravely fought for the Venetian Empire under General Andrea Cornora. He spied on the enemy and assisted the Archbishop of Philadelphia Athanasios Valeriano. The monks helped arm the locals to resist the oncoming invasion. Skoufos fled to the Ionian Islands and awaited permission to travel to Venice. Stoning_of_stephen_icon

While Skoufos was on the island of Corfu he painted with Tzanes. He briefly was a monk at the Monastery of Saint Paraskevi. He was in Venice by 1653 as a teacher at the

Scuola dei Greci The Scuola dei Greci (literally, ''School of the Greeks'') was the confraternity of the Greek community in Venice. Its members were primarily Greeks, but also included Serbs. History The ''Scuole Piccole of Venice, Scuole Piccole'' were Confr ...

. He stayed in this position for two years. He was temporarily the pastor of

. He married 13 people between 1655 and 1658. He was not permanently elected to the position. In 1660,

became the parish priest of the Greek Orthodox Church San Giorgio Dei Greco replacing Skoufos. Skoufos stayed in Venice for another five years. While he was in Venice he complained about living in poverty and wanted to go to the Ionian Islands. He wanted his own church. By 1665, the Venetian State granted him the monastery of Panagia Laurentaina on the island of

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 ...

. Painter

had an active workshop on the same island. Skoufos stayed on the island for the rest of his life. According to records in 1670 the church was in poor condition. Skoufos worked hard to renovate it. He painted many parts of the church. He requested permission to leave the church to his nephew Parthenios Skoufos. Around this time he also taught painting. He signed a four-year contract with the father of Nicoletos Gropas. He taught his son painting and made him a priest. Philotheos continued to decorate the church of Laurentaina. By 1673, his nephew Parthenios took over the Monastery at Laurentaina. He also gave his nieces his property on the island of

. He retired at the monastery of Agios Athanasios of Kipi. He died on March 9, 1685. Skoufos adopted a unique artistic style and characteristic. The artist utilized three schools the Heptanese School,

and the Venetian school. Clearly the ''Forty Holy Martyrs'' and ''The Stoning of Saint Steven'' escape the traditional maniera greca and carry the

into the Heptanese School which were clearly influenced by the Venetian school. His workshop was on the same island as

and the father of the Heptanese School

was on the neighboring island

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

. Clearly, Skoufos influenced many artists including

whom he collaborated with on several occasions. Comparing

''Adam and Eve'' to Skoufos ''Forty Holy Martyrs''. Both exhibit a sculpture-like realism. The bodies in both paintings are sculptured with clear dimensions. Skoufos technique also has its place in the early formation of the Heptanese School. One artist that Skoufos's work closely resembles is

Victor (iconographer) Victor (; 1630/1635 – 1697) was a painter active during the 17th century. He represented the late Cretan school. He was influenced by Michael Damaskinos. He kept his style simple and followed the lines of the improved maniera greca which was ...

Gallery

File:The Dormition of Sabbas the Sanctified.png, Dormition of Sabbas the Sanctified File:Philotheos Skoufos Presentation of Jesus.png, Presentation of Jesus File:Philotheos Skoufos Saint Catherine.png, Saint Catherine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skoufos, Philotheos Year of birth uncertain 1685 deaths Year of birth unknown Cretan Renaissance painters Greek Renaissance humanists People from Chania (regional unit) 17th-century Greek painters Greek Baroque painters

History

Gallery

See also

References