11 February - 31 March 2013

The painter Yiannis Kastritsis through his exhibition Interpretation of Lives in the Byzantine &  Christian Museum becomes part of the chorus of contemporary artists who are inspired by Byzantine tradition.

In Kastritsis’ case the inspiration comes from various aspects of Byzantine and post-Byzantine world. Known iconographic themes transform into modern painterly pursuits. Elsewhere the miniature rendering points to the Byzantine painting.

Aside from his love for the Byzantine iconography, Kastritsis invents new themes that demonstrate his relationship with Byzantium’s long tradition. In this way he creates the "Accidental meeting with Dionysios ek Phourna", a composition with dual meaning, which refers to the personality of the monk and author of the work Hermeneia/ Interpretation of the 18th century as well as to the connection between the artist and Dionysios.

Given these elective affinities with Byzantine art we believe that the presence of Yiannis Kastritsis in the Byzantine Museum illuminates the importance that the Byzantine culture has,
for completely different reasons each time, for the artists.