Dionysios Vegias ( gr, Διονύσιος Βέγιας, 1810–84) was a Greek painter of the later Heptanese School of painting.

Life

Dionysios Vegias was born in 1810 in

Cephalonia 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 i ...

. He was a pupil of the sculptor

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.

(1784–1837), then received a scholarship from the Ionian Islands to study painting 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 ...

in Rome. He proved an excellent pupil. He stayed in Italy for some time making copies of Renaissance genre paintings, which were popular with buyers at the time. In 1839 he returned to

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 ...

, where he taught drawing at the art school founded by Prosalentis. He then taught at the Lyceum of Corfu. He died in 1884 in

Work

Dionysios Vegias participated in the International Exhibition in London (1862) and in Olympia (1875). His paintings include portraits, historical scenes, religious paintings and mythological scenes such as ''Danae'' (1870), a relatively unusual genre in Ionian art. He was influenced by Italian painting, and depicted idealized forms and actions. He also made icons, and decorated the church of St. Spyridon in

Argostoli Argostoli ( el, Αργοστόλι, Katharevousa: Ἀργοστόλιον) is a town and a municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is one of the three municipalities on the island ...

, Our Lady of Strangers and St. George in the

Old Fortress, Corfu The Old Fortress of Corfu ( gr, Παλαιό Φρούριο, ) is a Republic of Venice, Venetian fortress in the Corfu (city), city of Corfu. The fortress covers the promontory which initially contained the old town of Corfu that had emerged du ...

. File:VEGIAS3.jpg, Sketch of the dead poet

Dionysios Solomos Dionysios Solomos (; el, Διονύσιος Σολωμός ; 8 April 1798 – 9 February 1857) was a Greek poet from Zakynthos, who is considered to be Greece's national poet. He is best known for writing the ''Hymn to Liberty'' ( el, Ὕμ� ...

(1857) File:Dionysios Vegias - Danae 1870.jpg, Danae (1870) File:Dennis Vella 1820-1884 Portrait of a woman, 1870.jpg, ''Portrait of a woman'' (1870)

Municipal Art Gallery of Ioannina The Municipal Art Gallery of Ioannina ( el, Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη Ιωαννίνων) is an art museum in Ioannina, Greece that has been open in its current building since 2000. The collection of over 500 items ranges from classical ...

File:VEGIAS2.jpg, Dance in Corfu

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vegias, Dionysios 1810 births 1884 deaths Greek artists Painters of the Heptanese School People from Cephalonia 19th-century Greek painters