Nikolaos Gyzis 1842-1901

By Analia Kaufman

Nikolaos Gyzis, The Spirit of Sorrow, 1896, Pencil and Watercolour on Paper, (100x196 cm), Benaki Museum, Athens. 

One of the most prominent 19th century Greek artists, Nikolaos Gyzis was deeply involved with the Munich School, which was definitive of the artistic scene in the new Greek state at the time. 

Born in March 1842 on the island of Tinos near Mykonos, he and his five siblings were moved to Athens by their father when Gyzis was eight years old, to cultivate his burgeoning artistic inclinations. It is unclear if he came from a single-parent household, as mentions of his mother don’t exist in any sources on Gyzis’s life. Due to his age, he was only allowed to observe the courses at the Athens School of Fine Art, but at the age of 12 was permitted to formally enrol. He remained at the school for ten years, taking part in the Olympia Exhibition in 1859. In 1862, two years before his graduation, he was introduced by a friend to his future father-in-law Nikolaos Nazos, who helped Gyzis secure a scholarship which allowed him to continue his artistic studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he remained for most of the rest of his life. 

His enrolment at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich marks Gyzis’s major entry into the art world. There, he reunited with his friend from Athens Nikiphoros Lyras who had introduces him to Nazos several years prior, whom he would remain close friends with for the rest of his life, the two often travelling to Paris and Asia Minor together. Alongside Lyras, Gyzis became one of the most well-known representatives of the Munich School which emphasized portrayal of emotional tension through a rhetorical and theatrical manner. His success secured him a place in the workshop of one of the Academy’s most renowned professors, Karl von Piloty, which further cemented his position in artistic society. In 1872, Gyzis returned to Greece for two years, but decided to return to Munich where he remained for the rest of his life. These two years inspired a sequence of paintings with more openly Greek themes, such as his works Carnival at Athens and Arravoniasmata. In 1877, he got engaged to Artemis Nazou, his benefactor’s daughter, whom he had five children with. Family scenes became a feature of Gyzis’s work, painting images of his wife, brother-in-law, and his parents. Children that appeared in his scenes reflected the “steadfast, affectionate ties between the adults and their offspring” which can be seen most clearly in his adoring paintings of his own children. 

Gaining increasing recognition, Gyzis participated in World Fairs, as well as being commissioned to decorate the ceiling of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Kaiserslautern. He became an honorary member of staff at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1880 and became a full professor in 1886. Gyzis began producing more impressionistic works after this point, turning away from the detailed, realistic depictions which he has previously been known for. He taught at the Academy until his death in 1901 from leukaemia, but his reputation continued past his death. The Greek 200 drachma notes from 1996-2001 displayed his famous work The Secret School on their reverse, and a central Athenian neighbourhood was named Gyzi, after him. While according to the Greek language it should’ve been named Γύζη, Gyzis signed his works using the Latin alphabet, so the spelling was retained in his honour. His works can be found in Greece, Germany, as well as across the world. 

Bibliography

“Artemis Gyzi.” National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum. National Gallery. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://www.nationalgallery.gr/en/artwork/artemis-gyzi-2/.  

“Arts in Greece: Nikolaos Gyzis, the Greek Master of Genre Painting.” Greek News Agenda, March 1, 2021. https://greeknewsagenda.gr/interviews/arts-in-greece/7414-nikolaos-gyzis. 

“Gyzis Nikolaos.” National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum. National Gallery. Accessed January 30, 2023. https://www.nationalgallery.gr/en/artist/gyzis-nikolaos/. 

Koroxenidis, Alexandra. “Gyzis, Artist of Vision and Ingenuity.” eKathimerini.com. Kathimerini English Edition, October 8, 2001. https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/916/gyzis-artist-of-vision-and-ingenuity/.