Modern Neo-Byzantineism and Fotis Kontogloutranslated

Moving forward to the modern era and examining the presence of Byzantine art in our contemporary visual reality, we notice that it is still active in artistic creation.

By Anna Kampas (Graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy of Athens, PhD candidate)

In fact, if we consider that Fotis Kontoglou revived and redefined Byzantine art for the first time, then perhaps today we are facing a second review and revival of the same visual tradition. The stream of artists starting from the Byzantine style is large both in the Greek area and in the international artistic scene. A multitude of works of art can be found which are influenced by the Byzantine style and through which they express the modern artistic pursuits.

For Fotis Kontoglou, adopting the Byzantine visual style was a logical choice. He used it to render secular forms and performances, to create, beyond the hagiographies, works of contemporary art that still expressed his spiritual origins.[1] In the Byzantine style, he found all the virtues we mentioned above, the meanings and the essence that...