Georgios Nomikos ( el, Γεώργιος Νομικός, 1638/1643 – 1712) was a Greek painter. He converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

from

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

. He was a Greek Baroque painter. He 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, becom ...

and the Heptanese School. His contemporaries were Georgios Kastrofylakas,

Theodore Poulakis Theodore Poulakis ( el, Θεόδωρος Πουλάκης; 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 me ...

, and Georgios Markou. He shared the same last name with famous Greek painter Demetrios Nomikos. He was active on the island of

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 ...

Kefalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It ...

Arta and

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

. Six of his paintings survived. Some of his frescos have survived in the destroyed church of Saint George in Lingiades, Ioannina. His work represents an evolution from the art of

Angelos Akotantos Angelos Akotantos (Greek language, Greek: Άγγελος Ακοτάντος 1390-1457) was a Greeks, Greek painter, educator, and protopsaltis. He painted in the Byzantine style or Italo-Byzantine, maniera greca. He represented the transition from ...

and

Elias Moskos Ilias or Elias Moskos ( el, Ηλίας Μόσκος, 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 ...

to a more refined technique influenced by the art of the Ionion Islands.

History

He was born on the island of Crete during the middle of the 17th century. Records exist from 1672-1705. He was born to a Jewish family. He converted to Christianity to become a painter and monk. The first existing record of Georgios was around 1672. He was working as a painter on the island of

. According to the signature on one of his icons, he converted to Christianity in 1676. On May 9, 1687, he was enlisted as a brother of the Monastery of Saint Nicholas of Xenon in

. He was hired to paint the iconostasis. His name was also found in the church of Faneromeni in

. In 1699, according to signatures and dates on two icons and a

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

the painter was in Arta. In 1705, he was in

. He painted frescos at the destroyed church of Agios Georgios in the village of Lingiades. The inscription in the church reveals that the painter came from Crete. That same year the painter created a despotic icon of Christ for the monastery of Vyliza in the village of Matsouki, Ioannina. The painter died around 1712. The signature on his work was χειρ Γεωργίου Νομικού ήμουνα Όβρέος καί γίνηκα Χριστιανός (by the hand of Georgios Nomikos I was a Jew and became Christian). Georgios was not the only Greek painter associated with the Jewish community. On November 19, 1499,

Andreas Pavias Andreas Pavias ( el, Ανδρέας Παβίας 1440-1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator. He was one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School, and his works influenced countless artists both Italian and Greek; paintings by Pavias coul ...

signed a contract to teach Aquilo Souloum. He was a Jewish youth. Pavias taught him Greek painting, reading, and writing for eight years. Papadopoulou, 2011, pp 205-222

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Georgios Nomikos 17th-century births 1712 deaths Year of birth uncertain Cretan Renaissance painters 17th-century Greek people 17th-century Greek painters People from Crete 18th-century Greek painters 18th-century Greek people Greek Renaissance humanists Converts to Christianity from Judaism

History

See also

References

Bibliography