28/08/2025
LACK OF CRITERIA
Some friends who are interested in art and archaeology occasionally or even systematically post photos of murals from provincial monuments in Greece or Asia Minor on social media. And they are right to do so, because it is good for people today to see how art developed and monuments were left behind throughout the territory of the so-called Byzantine Empire.
Some contemporary iconographers are ecstatic when they see attempts similar to their own, that is, a more modern and abstract approach to the style of the images.
This, I think, is a lack of criteria and a flawed method.
These old, dignified, and otherwise delightful works of the past are nothing more than the efforts of second- or third-rate artists to imitate the great works of the masters of the centers (Constantinople, Thessaloniki). The result was almost always far from good.
Such efforts are interesting because they reveal many things about art and communities, but in no way can they serve as a reference point and example for a contemporary approach to the art of portable and wall-mounted icons.
A contemporary proposal must recapitulate the “tradition” of painting, engage with contemporary visual arts and the society of each era, so that it is always relevant in time and place without losing its “essence” and function.
St. Anargyroi Church. Kipoula , Mani, 1265. Nativity of Christ. Detail.
