In the mid 17th century became more intense the move of the gradual abandonment of the strict Byzantine school, in both the themes and the manner . Egg-based paint was gradually replaced by oil-paint , the themes became more and more secular and the manner abandoned the strict Byzantine lines. Panagiotis Doxaras (1662–1729), with his work « About Painting », in 1726, changes the fixed reference points.
1811 was the year of the foundation in Corfu of the fisrt Greek Fine Arts School by the important Corfiot painter Pavlos Prosalendis , which shows the level of the artistic life. This was the starting point of the so called Ionian School , whish was the predominant Greek artistic movement from the 17th till the mid 19th century.
Some important painters followed him:
Emmanuel Tzanes.
Born in Crete and died in Venice. He left Crete in 1646 , two years before the last siege of Chandax, going to Venice. He stopped in Corfu, where he spent 9 years of his life, until 1655 . You can see his work at the Byzantine church of Agios Iasonas and Sosipatros , at the church of Panagia Faneromeni (of the foreigners) , at the Byzantine Museum , at the church of Agios Nikolaos and at the monastery of Panagia Platytera .
Theodoros Poulakis
A Cretan painter whi lived in Corfu in the second half of the 17th century . His icons can be seen at the Byzantine Museum , at the Monastery of Panagia Platytera , at the chirch of the Vorgin Mary at Kassiopi and at the church of Agios Nikolaos at Viros .
Konstantinos Kantarinis - Stephanos Dzangarolas
Representatives of the painting which was developed in the late 17th and the early 18th century . Some of their works can be found at the Byantine Museum , the church of Agia Ekaterini , at the Orthodox Cathedral and at the church of Panagia Faneromeni (Of the foreigners) .
Panagioti Doxaras (1662–1729)
He lived and died in Corfu. He is considered to be the founder of a school known as the Ionian School of Painting, which separated iconography from its Byzantine bonds. Doxaras introduced to the Greek iconography the technique of oil paint , which replaced the old technique of the mixing of colors with thw yolk of an egg . His most important piece of work was the decoration of the ceiling of the church of Agios Spyridon in 1727, which has not been preserved.
Charalambos Pachis (1844–1891)
A teacher of the Fine Arts School. He is considered to be one of the most important landscapes painters of the Ionian School of Painting.
Anglelos Gialinas
He specialised in aquarelle (water paint). Many of his artpieces have been bought by galleries and collectors from Greece and abroad . Most of his art pieces have a unique representation of the landscapes of Corfu and he is considered to be one of the best painters of aquarelle .
Georgios Samartzis
His work is limited to portraits . Some of his art pieces are at the Town Hall , in churches and at the Municipal Gallery.
Markos Zavitsanos
He is famous for his portraits and he is considered to be a wodnerful representative of his art in Greece. He was also a really sensitive engraver and his lithographs are outstanding products of this sensitive and difficult art.
Dionyssios Veyias
He was born in Kefallonia in 1819 but he lived and died in Corfu . He is considered to be one of the first artists to practise the art of engraving in Greece .
Today, someone can find many art pieces painted by Michael Damaskinos (the big iconography of the Cretan School), Emmanuel Lambardos , Geogrios Kotzias , Angelos Kritikos, Ieremias Palladas and Georgios Kortezas in many churches of the island and in the Byzantine Museum of Corfu.
Other painters who lived and worked in Corfu the same period are: Alexandros Trivolis - Pieris, Panagiotis Paramythiotis , Giorgos Chrysoloras , Spyridon Sperantsas , Spyridon Ventouras , Nikolaos Koutouzis and Nikolaos Kantounis .
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