Nikolaos Gyzis (Grece, 1842-1901)


Figure 1.--Gyzis painted "Child gathering (Devshirme)" sometime between 1865-1875. Paidomazoma (child-gathering) was a special rule in the Ottoman Empire of gathering Christian boys aged 6-15 to serve in the Ottoman army or at the court of the Sultan. Paidomazoma lasted from 1512 to 1632. It took place every 2 or 5 years. The only exceptions to this rule were the orphaned and married boys. The boys were introduced to Islam and military trained to join the army known as Janissaries. In the painting a Janissary is ready to take a young boy from his mother's arms. The simplicity with which the scene is rendered imbues it with a rare immediacy. The Janissary's bright red cloak appears like a river of blood.

Nikolaos Gyzis was born in 1842 at the island of Tinos. He attended the Athenian School of Arts during the period 1854-1864. His teachers were Margaritis, Ceccoli, and Thiersch. In 1864, Lytras introduced him to Nikolaos Nazos. In 1865, Gyzis with Nazos' help obtained a scholarship from the monastery of Virgin Mary in Tinos, and he like many other Greek artists left for Munich. Gyzis, once in Munich, got acquainted with the neoclassical works of sculpture, as well as with the paintings of the Dutch masters, including Rembrant, existing in the town's museum and Old Gallery. Gyzis' sojourn in Greece did not last long; In 1874, Gyzis returned to Munich, this time for good. His only luggage were his memories from Greece, memories that will accompany and haunt him for the rest of his life. He painted many memorarable scenes of Greek life with historical settings. One of his first paintings in Munich was "Engagements". It depicts the custom of engaging boys and girls at a very young age. Another memorable work was "Child gathering (Devshirme)" which he painted sometime between 1865-1875. Paidomazoma (child-gathering) was a special rule in the Ottoman Empire of gathering Christian boys aged 6-15 to serve in the Ottoman army or at the court of the Sultan. From 1886 onwards, Gyzis moved from genre to idealism. Gyzis was a deeply religious man. Near the end of his life he turned to religious paintings. Gyzis never managed to compromise with the idea of Greece being unable to satisfy his spiritual and artistic needs. He never actually stopped feeling as a "prodigal son". Gyzis died in January 1901 of leukemia. Munich honoured his memory with an exhibition comprising his major works. [Source: Aggeliki Pollali, "An Overview of Greek Painting in the 19th c," Anistoriton, June 1998.








Christopher Wagner






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Created: May 14, 2002
Last updated: May 14, 2002