175 YEARS FROM THE BIRTH OF NIKOLAOS GYSIS

Nikolaos Gysis, one of the finest modern Greek painters, was born on the island of Tinos but grew up in Athens, where he attended classes at the Athens School of Fine Arts. In 1865, he received a scholarship to study at the renowned Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where he mastered a flawless technique and the tenets of academic realism. He spent most of his life in Munich, where he became full professor at the Academy, returning to Greece only occasionally. His journey to Asia Minor with fellow artist Nikephoros Lytras enriched his palette and shifted his focus to Greek genre themes. The output of his later years became more poetic and idealistic, often inspired by Greek mythology and religious themes, with a discernible influence of symbolism.