Page 374 - Beholding Liberty!

374 BEHOLDING LIBERTY!
ΙΙ.9.8
Nikeforos Lytras (1832-1904)
The burning of the Turkish flagship, ca. 1873
oil on canvas, 143 × 109 cm Averof Museum, Metsovo
A KEY WORK, both in the artist’s oeuvre and among the artworks inspired by the events of 1821, and nineteenth-century Greek art in gener- al. A masterful depiction of a historical event of the War, this painting dates from the period af- ter Nikephoros Lytras had returned from Munich (1865), when he produced his finest work, docu- menting both historical and everyday moments in modern Greek life.
Here, he achieved a momentous representation of the successes of the Greek fleet, when Konstanti- nos Kanaris and his crew burned the Turkish flag- ship, off Chios (June 67, 1822). The ship, ablaze in the background, provides the necessary backdrop to suggest the historical event. Lytras focuses on the boat with the five sailors, in the foreground, as they paddle to get away, celebrating their heroic deed at the same time.
Interestingly, Kanaris himself frequently visited
Lytras’ studio; the artist, therefore, had access to first-hand information about the event.
The painter focuses on the figures of Kanaris and his companions, and their expressive gestures, which he renders in realistic detail, conveying the dramatic tension of the scene. The juxta- posed movements of the two figures who raise their arms triumphantly, while others are rowing, charge the foreground. The warm tones of the human figures and the light on the boat and the flaming ship establish a unified palette that con- trasts with the dark surfaces of the sea and the ship, skilfully highlighting the brave sailors and their act.
The work was presented and awarded at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair. It later went on view at the Paris International Exposition in 1878 and at a fundraiser for the Red Cross at the Melas Man- sion in Athens, in 1881.