From April 30th to September 29th, 2025
1453: the Turks conquered Constantinople.
Several painters migrated from the f
ormer capital of the Eastern Roman Empire to Crete, which back then belonged to the
Sea Dominion of the Venetian Republic. They brought along their artistic tradition of icon painting, characterized by an incredible light obtained by using a great deal of gold.
1669: Crete became part of the Ottoman Empire after over 450 years of Venetian domination… once more,
painters moved away, this time towards the Venetian Lagoon, where again they brought their icons and their gold, but where they
started to feel even more the influence from the Venetian pictorial tradition.And what about the period in between these two events?
Obviously, the artistic contacts continued, becoming incredibly intense. The result was the appearance of a great painter, later named
El Greco, who was able to
mix the Cretan lesson with the one of great Venetian masters such as Titian and Tintoretto, coming up with a fresh, unique style…
The fascinating gold, the tradition of icon painting, the
artistic contaminations between two different cultures,
the history that connects Crete to Venice: this is what you can see at the exhibit that is currently being held at the Doges’s Palace in Venice. Don’t miss the opportunity of visiting “The Painted Gold. El Greco and Painting Between Crete and Venice”, up to September 29th, 2025.
Photo Credits: Marialaura Bidorini, journalist and publicist
