Spyridon Prosalentis ( el, Σπυρίδων Προσαλέντης;

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

, 1830 –

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 ...

, 1895) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

portrait painter of the Heptanese School. His first name is sometimes seen as Spyros.

Biography

Prosalentis was descended from a noble Byzantine family, who fled to areas under the control of the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

after the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

. His father was

Pavlos Prosalentis Pavlos Prosalentis (Greek: Παύλος Προσαλέντης; 28 January 1784 in Corfu – 1 February 1837 in Corfu) was the first professional sculptor in modern Greece.

, who is considered to be the first significant modern Greek sculptor and, in 1811, created Greece's first art school. His earliest lessons naturally came from his father. Later, he finished his education at the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia The is a public tertiary academy of art in Venice, Italy. History The Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia was founded on 24 September 1750; the statute dates from 1756. The first director was Giovanni Battista Piazzetta; Gianbattista Tiepolo ...

. He remained in Italy until 1865 and, when he returned, received an appointment as Professor of painting at the

Athens School of Fine Arts The Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA; el, Ανωτάτη Σχολή Καλών Τεχνών, ΑΣΚΤ, literally: Highest School of Fine Arts), is Greece's premier Art school whose main objective is to develop the artistic talents of its students ...

. For unknown reasons, he resigned from that position the following year and went back to Venice.Brief biography
@ the

National Gallery of Athens The National Gallery ( el, Εθνική Πινακοθήκη, ''Ethniki Pinakothiki'') is an art museum located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in the Pangrati district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century ...

. In 1870, he won a major award at the "Exhibition of Fine Arts" in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, and was invited to return to Greece by King

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

. He settled in Athens and immediately began to create murals in the chapel of the

Old Royal Palace The Old Royal Palace ( el, Παλαιά Ανάκτορα ''Palaiá Anáktora'') is the first royal palace of modern Greece, completed in 1843. It has housed the Hellenic Parliament since 1934. The Old Palace is situated at the heart of modern ...

. In 1876, a second chair of painting was established at the School of Fine Arts and he received another appointment as Professor, this time remaining in that position until his death. Upon commission from the Royal Family of Greece, he completed several series of portraits of notable personalities from the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

, the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

, and the War and Navy Departments. He also painted some domestic

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

scenes, but those are much less familiar. His sons,

Pavlos Pavlos () or Pávlos () is a masculine given name. It is a Greek form of Paul. It may refer to: *Pavlos Bakoyannis (1935–1989), a liberal Greek politician *Pavlos Carrer (1829–1896), a Greek composer *Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece (bo ...

and , and his daughters, and , also became well-known painters.''Painting in Corfu'', Annex of Corfu, National Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum - Ministry of Culture, p. 74-76.

Gallery of portraits

File:ThemistoklisTrikoupis.jpg, Portrait of
,
a hero of the Greek Revolution. File:KalidonaTrikoupis.jpg, Portrait of
Kalidona Trikoupis, Themistoklis' wife. File:Dimitrios Ypsilantis - Sp. Prosalentis.JPG, Portrait of

Dimitrios Ypsilantis Demetrios Ypsilantis (alternatively spelled Demetrius Ypsilanti; el, Δημήτριος Υψηλάντης, ; ro, Dumitru Ipsilanti; 1793August 16, 1832) was a Greek army officer who served in both the Hellenic Army and the Imperial Russian Ar ...

File:MakryiannisProsalentis.jpg, Portrait of

Yannis Makriyannis Yannis Makriyannis ( el, Γιάννης Μακρυγιάννης, ''Giánnēs Makrygiánnīs''; 1797–1864), born Ioannis Triantaphyllou (, ''Iōánnēs Triantafýllou''), was a Greek merchant, military officer, politician and author, best ...

File:Panagiotis Giatrakos.jpg, Portrait of
File:Yiannis Dyovouniotis - Greek Fighter.jpg, Portrait of

Yiannis Dyovouniotis Yiannis Xykis (; 1757–1831), more commonly known as Dyovouniotis (), was a Greek chieftain in Roumeli and a hero of the Greek War of Independence. Early life He was born in 1757 to Triantafyllia and Kostas Xykis, at the village of Dyo Vouna ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prosalentis, Spyridon 1830 births 1895 deaths Artists from Corfu Greek portrait painters Painters of the Heptanese School 19th-century Greek painters Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia alumni Athens School of Fine Arts faculty