Dionysios Kallivokas (Greek:Διονύσιος Καλλιβωκάς; 30 June 1806,

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Za ...

– 15 May 1877,

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

) was a Greek portrait and icon painter; associated with the Heptanese School.

Biography

Kallivokas was born in

. The island was under Russian control but, the following year, it was taken by the French. He received his first art lessons from the icon painter,

Nikolaos Kantounis Nikolaos Kantounis or Kandounis (Greek: Νικόλαος Καντούνης; 1767–1834) was a Greek priest, painter and teacher who did not follow the traditional Maniera Greca. His teacher was the famous painter Nikolaos Koutouzis. He began to ...

, who was also an Orthodox priest. He continued his studies in Rome at the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

, then at the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze The Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze ("academy of fine arts of Florence") is an instructional art academy in Florence, in Tuscany, in central Italy. It was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1563, under the influence of Giorgio Vasari. ...

with Tommaso Gazzarrini and Benedetto Servolini. He would remain in Florence for twelve years. When he returned to Zakynthos, it had come under British control. He initially focused on icons and other religious art, then became a private teacher in

Lefkada Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Gr ...

, followed by a position at the

Ionian Academy The Ionian Academy ( el, Ιόνιος Ακαδημία) was the first Greek academic institution established in modern times. It was located in Corfu. It was established by the French during their administration of the island as the ''département ...

. In 1864, the Ionian Islands were reunited with Greece. Three years later, took part in the Exposition Universelle in Paris. He was awarded a bronze medal for his copy of a painting by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

, at the Olympia Exhibition in Athens (1870). He relocated to Athens permanently in 1874, and supported himself by making copies of works by the Renaissance Masters. He quickly ran out of space, but when

Nikiforos Lytras Nikiforos Lytras ( el, Νικηφόρος Λύτρας; 1832 – 13 June 1904) was a Greek painter. He was born in Tinos and trained in Athens at the School of Arts. In 1860, he won a scholarship to Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich. After co ...

left for Germany, he gave Kallivokas his workshop. Financial success was slow in coming, so he began to show his works at the Athens City Hall. He was awarded a silver medal at the Panhellenic Exhibition of 1875. Throughout his years in Athens, he maintained his ties to the Heptanese School. Most of his portraits were for a

bourgeoise The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. T ...

clientele. He died in 1877, aged seventy. His works may be seen at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, and at municipal galleries in Zakynthos, Lefkada, and

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.Biography and works
@ Paleta Art.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kallivokas, Dionysios 1806 births 1877 deaths Greek painters Greek portrait painters Greek icon painters Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze alumni People from Zakynthos