The return of the muses: Scholars, merchants and artists in Thessaly on the eve of the 1821 Revolution

Item

Title

Muses

National Uprising

Date

4 July 2021-30 April 2022

Date Issued

2021

Abstract

The new temporary exhibition of the Diachronic Museum of Larissa … is a tribute to the bicentenary of the Greek Revolution and presents art in Thessaly at the end of 18th and early 19th centuries. At this time the Greek Enlightenment was at its peak. Through works of painting, gold embroidery and silversmithing, religious artefacts in their majority, the change of the patrons’ preferences is gradually seen and a new society is revealed, formed by the open borders of trade and knowledge. Churches and monasteries continue to be the poles of Christian society, increasing support for educational institutions and publications. In the book dedications of the time, active scholars and merchants appear with a common admiration for the enlightened Europe, while at the same time they develop a new relationship with the ancient Greek heritage through the Enlightenment. Through these changes and despite the disturbances created by the continuous revolutionary movements, one observes the gradual formation of the national identity and the inevitable course towards the national uprising.

(Edited and translated description from dml.culture.gr website)