Return from the Fair (ca 1865-1872) by Lytras NikephorosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
He studied painting at the Athens School of Arts(1850-1856) taught by the brothers Philippos and Georgios Margaritis, the monk Agathangelos Triantafyllou, Raffaello Ceccoli and Ludwig Thiersch, whom he also assisted in the iconography of the Russian Church in Athens (1853-1855)
In 1860 after teaching Elementary Graphics at the School of Arts for two years (1856-1858), he left for Munich where first on a scholarship from the Greek government and then with the support of Baron Simon Sinas, he completed his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, his principal teacher being Karl von Piloty (1826 - 1886).
Lysandros Kaftantzoglou (ca 1886) by Lytras NikephorosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
In 1865 he returned to Athens and was appointed professor of painting at the National Technical University the following year, remaining in that position till his death.
Zeibek (after 1873) by Lytras NikephorosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
He was a close friend of Nikolaos Gyzis, with whom he visited Asia Minor in 1873, Munich in 1874, where he stayed until 1875, and Paris in 1876 while in 1879 he also travelled to Egypt.
After his death, his works were presented at various exhibitions in Greece and abroad, such as the exhibition “The Piloty School 1858-1886” held in 1909 at the Heinemann gallery in Munich and the International Exhibition of Rome in 1911. Moreover, in 1933 the Athens School of Fine Arts organized a large retrospective exhibition of his work.
Nikephoros Lytras was one of the leading representatives of the School of Munich and is considered the father of modern Greek painting.
Onions, Parsley and Pot Cover by Lytras NikephorosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
Though acquainted with impressionism, he remained faithful to the academic tradition and was involved with nearly all forms of subject matter: portraits, still lifes, historical scenes, and mythological motifs.
But the most important part of his work consisted of genre scenes, which he, in essence, introduced to Greek painting and which contain scenes from the Greek provinces and the urban area, the Greek family and the world of the child, as well as other subjects from further East.
He is also considered to have been an innovator in the sector of portraiture, where his endeavor to penetrate the psychology of the figure being depicted can be readily seen.
His teaching contribution was also of great importance, decisively influencing the following generations through his nearly forty years at the Athens School of Arts during which he undertook large-scale endeavors for the upgrading of the lessons and the reorganization of the artistic division.
Texts: Marina Lampraki-Plaka, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, ex-Director, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Project leader: Efi Agathonikou, Head of Collections Department, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Images: Stavros Psiroukis & Thalia Kimpari, Photographic Studio, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Digital curation: Marina Tomazani, Art Historian, Curator, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
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