Cretan school describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the fall of Constantinople, becoming the central force in Greek painting during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The Cretan artists developed a particular style of painting under the influence of both Eastern and Western artistic traditions and movements; the most famous product of the school, El Greco, was the most successful of the many artists who tried to build a career in Western Europe, and also the one who left the Byzantine style farthest behind him in his later career.
Saint Menas by Emmanuel Lambardos (17th century)
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, probably an early Cretan work of 13th or 14th century.
Deposition, Lamentation and Resurrection triptych by Nikolaos Zafouris, c. 1490s (National Museum, Warsaw).
Pieta (1566), Benaki Museum
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels. Although especially associated with portrait-style images concentrating on one or two main figures, the term also covers most of the religious images in a variety of artistic media produced by Eastern Christianity, including narrative scenes, usually from the Bible or the lives of saints.
The Ladder of Divine Ascent depicts monks ascending to Jesus in heaven in the top right. 12th century, Saint Catherine's Monastery.
Russian icon of the Holy Trinity
The icon of St Nicolas carved in stone (between c. 12 and 15th centuries), at the Radomysl Castle, in Ukraine.
Luke painting the Theotokos of Vladimir (16th century, Pskov)