Lamentation of Christ is an oil painting created by Greek 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 ...

. He was a painter and teacher. He was a priest. His teachers were famous painters Ioannis Korais and

Nikolaos Koutouzis Nikolaos Koutouzis, or Koutousis (Greek: Νικόλαος Κουτούζης; 17411813) was a Greek painter, poet and priest. He was part of the Heptanese School (painting), Heptanese School, but also a member of the Modern Greek Enlightenment in ...

He was a representative of the Heptanese School. His artwork was created during the Neoclassical and Romantic periods in Greek art. 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 ...

from 1782–1834. He was one of the earliest members of the modern Greek art period. Over 164 of his paintings have survived. He is known for painting many portraits. He was a member of the secret organization for Greek Independence called the Filiki Eteria. Towards the end of his life he was honored with the rank of Grand Sakellarios. The

Passion of Jesus In Christianity, the Passion (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.) is the short final period in the life of Jesus Christ. Depending on one's views, the "Passion" m ...

has been depicted in countless paintings both Greek and Italian. The

Lamentation of Christ The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque. After Jesus was crucified, his body was removed from the cross and his friends mourned over his body. This event has been depicted by m ...

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

was a popular theme adopted by 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 ...

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 co ...

and Nikolaos Tzafouris both featured works in the traditional Greek style. Greek art began to evolve and integrate

Venetian painting Venetian painting was a major force in Italian Renaissance painting and beyond. Beginning with the work of Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430–1516) and his brother Gentile Bellini (c. 1429–1507) and their workshops, the major artists of the Venetian ...

styles. By the Late Cretan and early Heptanese School. Greek artists began to integrate Flemish engravings into their paintings. By the 1800s

Nikolaos Doxaras Nikolaos Doxaras ( el, Νικόλαος Δοξαράς; 1706/10 – 2 March 1775). He was a Greek painter and teacher. His father was famous painter Panagiotis Doxaras. Panagiotis Doxaras was the father of the Greek Rococo and the Modern Greek ...

and

Panagiotis Doxaras Panagiotis Doxaras ( el, Παναγιώτης Δοξαράς) (1662–1729) also known as Panayiotis Doxaras, was an author and painter. He was a prolific member of the Heptanese School. He was influenced by early members of the movement name ...

attempted to popularize oil painting.

significantly refined the Greek style but did not have the commercial success of

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

with Renaissance Baroque style oil paintings.

had a very successful workshop. He was able to successfully maintain a workshop that emulated Renaissance Baroque-style oil paintings. His ''Lamentation of Christ'' resembles

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in order ...

's ''

''. The work is part of the collection of the Municipal Art Gallery of Larissa in Greece.

Description

The materials used were oil paint on canvas. The height of the painting is 48.5 cm (19 in) and the width is 61 cm (24 in). The work resembles

's ''

''. Both works of art feature incredible craftsmanship. The

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

wounds A wound is a rapid onset of injury that involves lacerated or punctured skin (an ''open'' wound), or a contusion (a ''closed'' wound) from blunt force trauma or compression. In pathology, a ''wound'' is an acute injury that damages the epider ...

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

are present in both paintings. Mantegna used tempera on canvas and Kantounis used oil on canvas.

's work features four

. Kantouni's work exhibits three of the holy

and an aura. A nimbus of power flows around Christ, glowing like the sun. Kantounis and his contemporaries of the Heptanese School began to refine and develop the human anatomy. Artists focused on definition and form. Kantounis did not hesitate to distinguish the biceps, triceps, and deltoid muscles. A pale figure appears. Both Mantegna and Kantouni's paintings feature a realistic depiction of a dead Christ. The flesh tones of the angels in Kantouni's painting allow viewers to distinguish the pale figure. His celestial statue-like body rests on his burial

shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to ''burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous Shr ...

. The holy

is marked with blood stains. The

often referred to as the holy towel is painted with light and shadow. The image relays a deep sense of realism. The cadaver magnificently communicates the biblical tragedy. The face of the holy martyr imparts the same tone as Mantegna's work. The four angels convey hope to onlookers.

Gallery

File:The dead Christ and three mourners, by Andrea Mantegna.jpg, Mantegna's Lamentation of Christ File:Andreas pavias, pietà, 1490-1510 ca. (rossano, museo diocesano e del codex).jpg, Pietà Pavias File:Nicolaos zafuris, imago pietatis (da bellini), 1500 ca..JPG, Pietà Tzafouris

References

Bibliography

* {{Heptanese School (painting) 19th-century paintings Paintings in Greece Paintings of the Heptanese School