Konstantinos Volanakis Facts for Kids

Konstantinos Volanakis (1902)

Konstantinos Volanakis (born around 1837, died June 29, 1907) was a famous Greek painter. He is best known for his amazing seascape paintings. These are paintings that show scenes of the sea. Many people consider him one of the greatest Greek seascape artists.

Early Life and Artistic Start
Winning a Competition
Return to Greece
Later Years and Legacy
Gallery
See also

Early Life and Artistic Start

The Battle of Lissa (1869)

Konstantinos Volanakis was born in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. His family later moved for their business. He finished his basic schooling on the island of Syros in 1856. After school, his brothers encouraged him to go to Trieste. There, he worked as a book-keeping clerk for a family of Greek merchants.

While working, Volanakis often drew pictures of ships and harbors in his account books. The merchant family noticed his artistic talent. Instead of being upset, they helped him. They arranged for him to study art at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. He joined other Greek students there, like Nikolaos Gyzis and Nikiphoros Lytras. His teachers at the academy did not encourage landscape painting. So, he focused on painting portraits of people.

Winning a Competition

A big moment for Volanakis came in 1869. This was three years after the Battle of Lissa, a famous naval battle. Emperor Franz Joseph held a drawing competition to remember this event. Volanakis won the contest! He received 1000 gold coins and free trips with the Austrian navy for three years. He used this chance to create many paintings and sketches.

Return to Greece

In 1883, Volanakis decided to return to Greece. His friend, the painter Gyzis, warned him that it might harm his career. But Volanakis felt he had to go back. His wife's health was not good in the cold German winters. So, he settled in Piraeus, Greece, where his family had a pottery factory.

From 1883 until 1903, Volanakis taught at the Athens School of Fine Arts. One of his well-known students was Michalis Oikonomou. He also ran his own private art school. Another student of his was Sophia Laskaridou. In 1889, he received the Silver Cross of the Order of the Redeemer. This was an important award.

In his later years, Volanakis faced financial difficulties. He had a very large family to support. Also, people's interest in his art was not as strong. To earn more money, he tried a new idea. He worked with framers who made fancy carved frames first. Then, he would create paintings to fit these special frames.

Later Years and Legacy

Konstantinos Volanakis passed away on June 29, 1907, in Piraeus. His funeral happened on an important election day. Because of this, not many people were able to attend. Today, Volanakis' paintings are found in many public and private art collections. These include the National Gallery of Greece and the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation.