L’oro dipinto: An Artistic Bridge Between Crete and Venice at Palazzo Ducale, Italy
In the heart of Venice, within the Doge’s Apartment at Palazzo Ducale, comes to life an exhibition that weaves together history, spirituality, and beauty: “L’oro dipinto. El Greco e la pittura tra Creta e Venezia”, on view from April 30th to September 29th, 2025. Curated by Chiara Squarcina, Katerina Dellaporta, and Andrea Bellieni, the exhibition offers a rare and valuable opportunity to explore a little-studied chapter in the history of Mediterranean art: the Cretan-Venetian school of painting, suspended between the Byzantine East and the Latin West.
LEFT: Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, Annunciation, Circa 1576, Oil on canvas, 117 × 98 cm, Madrid, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Inv. 1975.35 (172); RIGHT: Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, Saint Peter, 1600–1607, Oil on canvas, 68.5 × 53 cm, Athens, National Gallery of Greece, Alexandros Soutsos Museum. Inv. 9027
Dominikos Theotokopoulos: From Crete to El Greco
At the heart of the exhibition lies the emblematic figure of Dominikos Theotokopoulos, known worldwide as El Greco. Born in Crete in 1541, the young painter was trained within the island’s post-Byzantine tradition, at a time when it was under Venetian rule. Drawn by the vibrant artistic climate of the era, he moved to Venice around 1567, where he encountered the great masters of the Venetian Renaissance—Titian, Tintoretto, and Bassano—who would deeply influence his stylistic development. After a brief period in Rome, El Greco settled in Spain, where he established his unique artistic identity, blending Eastern spirituality and Western pathos into a visionary and unmistakable style.
LEFT: El Greco, The Flight into Egypt, 1570, Oil on panel, 15.90 × 21.60 × 0.00 cm, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. © Photographic Archive. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid; RIGHT: Views Exhibition: L’oro dipinto. Ph: Irene Fanizza
Gold as Language: Icons Between Faith and Painting
A unifying element of the exhibition is gold: a spiritual substance, a pictorial language, and a cultural symbol. “L’oro dipinto” brings light to the icons produced in the workshops of Candia and, later, on other Ionian islands after the city fell under Ottoman siege in 1669. This sacred language—an inheritance of the Byzantine world—gradually merges with Gothic and Renaissance influences from Venice, giving rise to a style of painting that bridges multiple worlds and speaks to a wide range of sensibilities.
LEFT: Michaél Damaskinós, The Wedding at Cana (after Jacopo Tintoretto), 1575–1580, Tempera and oil on canvas and panel, 79.5 × 115.5 cm, Venice, Museo Correr, Inv. Cl. I no. 255; RIGHT: Views Exhibition: L’oro dipinto. Ph: Irene Fanizza
A Geography of Exchange and Influence
The exhibition unfolds across seven sections that trace a chronological and stylistic journey—from the early masters such as Angelos and Andreas Ritzos to the more mature syntheses by painters like Michael Damaskinos and Georgios Klontzas. What emerges is a boundless artistic Mediterranean, where Crete and Venice reflect one another, exchanging models, techniques, devotions, and knowledge. The exhibition not only highlights this vibrant cultural network but also tells the story of the Greek community's integration in Venice, centered around the Scuola and Church of San Giorgio dei Greci.
LEFT: Cretan-Venetian painter, Saint George and the Dragon, First half of the 15th century, Tempera grassa and gold on panel, Courtesy of the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation, Venice; RIGHT: Michaél Damaskinós and workshop, Adoration of the Magi, Circa 1590, Tempera and gold on panel, 70 × 54.5 cm, Venice, Museo Correr, Inv. Cl. I no. 0509
Art and Technology: The Present Meets Tradition
The final rooms of the exhibition offer visitors an immersive experience through two interactive installations designed by the collective “camerAnebbia”. Here, artificial intelligence is not merely a tool, but a creative medium capable of reinterpreting traditional iconography. With a simple touch, visitors can generate their own sacred image by choosing symbolic figures such as Saint George or an angel. This simple yet evocative gesture reawakens the ancient bond between viewer and image.
LEFT: Views Exhibition: L’oro dipinto. Ph: Irene Fanizza; RIGHT: Views Exhibition: L’oro dipinto. Ph: Irene Fanizza
A Dialogue Between Civilizations with a Vision for the Future
“L’oro dipinto” is an invitation to rediscover the central role of Venice as a crossroads of civilizations—a city that, for centuries, has welcomed, blended, and reinvented its identities. Through more than 150 works, many of them on loan from Greece, the exhibition celebrates the spiritual and stylistic dialogue between two worlds. A journey that, in its golden splendor, reminds us how deeply the roots of the present are grounded in a shared history.
LEFT: Georgios Klontzas, In You Rejoices, Late 16th century, Tempera and gold on panel, 71.5 × 47 cm, Venice, Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies, Inv. no. 25; RIGHT: Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, The Baptism of Christ, 1566–1567, Tempera and oil on panel, 28.5 × 23.5 cm, Heraklion, Historical Museum of Crete, Inv. AIV0111
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