The Icon Painter
Icon painting is a centuries-old tradition in and the rest of Greece, and Greece Travel Secrets meets a modern-day icon painter in Elounda on Crete.
Yiorgia Petrakis: Photo by Donna Dailey
All Other Photos Courtesy of Ioannis and Yiorgia Petrakis
‘There are still plenty of icon painters in Crete,’ says Yiorgia Petrakis, ‘but not many of them are painting with the heart.’ Yiorgia is taking a break from her own work at the Icon Workshop she runs with her husband Ioannis in Eloúnda. At the back of the shop stands a canvas on its easel, specially adapted with wooden supports on which Yiorgia can rest her wrists while concentrating for long hours.
The Icon Shop and Studio
The Cretan School
Icon-painting is a great Cretan tradition, and the island’s skillful
artists became renowned during the 15th-17th centuries under the name of the
Cretan School. Icons were being painted for many centuries before this, of
course, but during that period Cretan artists were in great demand in Venice,
the artistic capital of the western world.
Ioannis Petrakis at work in his studio
Studying Icon Painting
It is a skill that is still highly respected on Crete, though not many people make them like Yiorgia in the traditional way. Born in Thessaloníki, Yiorgia met Ioannis when they were both studying Icon Painting at the Painting School at Athens University. They married and moved to his home town of Eloúnda, where they opened their workshop.
Yiorgia Petrakis at work
The Rules of Icon Painting
‘We studied for several years,’ Yiorgia says. ‘Icon painting is full of rules. You can’t explain them, you must feel them. It must come from the heart.’
Our Pick of the Crete Guides
The wooden frame for an icon painting must be made from a hard, dry wood like oak, chestnut or pine, not an oily wood like the olive tree. The paper is handmade from cotton. Egg and vinegar is used to make the egg tempura, and 23-carat gold leaf provides the background. Paints are also handmade in the traditional way, dyes coming from the earth, from flowers, from metals. Yiorgia and Ioannis buy their paints from the one factory in Greece which still makes them in this way.
Some Works by Ioannis and Yiorgia Petrakis
Making Colours
‘Sometimes to make just one colour can take years,’ Yiorgia explains. ‘They bury a metal in the ground until it decays to the point where they get exactly the colour that they want. And it can take one month to make one of the larger paintings, which is why real icon paintings can be expensive.
'But we have customers from all over the world. Most of the work that we do is to order, but we always have work in the shop for people to buy. It is not just the skill of the work, of course. It is the feeling for Mary, for Jesus, that affects the painting. Your love for them must come through.’
As Yiorgia returns to her canvas, it is quite clear that her own love shines through every icon. The spirit of the Cretan School lives on, in this little shop in the holiday resort of Eloúnda.
The Icon Shop and Studio in Elounda
Visit the Icon Painters
You'll find the Icons Art Studio on Elounda's Main Square No 8 (Mpotis Sfakianakis).
Other Crete posts
Visiting Knossos near Iraklion is one of the best things to do on Crete, and this page has a history of the site with visitor information.
Maleme near Chania is where the people who died during the battle of Crete are buried, in the German War Cemetery with the Commonwealth War Cemetery nearby.
There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.
Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
The Stilianou Winery near Knossos on Crete uses only Cretan grape varieties, with every bottle numbered, and aims for quality rather than quantity.
Crete (Kriti) is the largest Greek island and its main attractions include the Minoan Palace of Knossos, the Samarian Gorge, Chania and Rethymnon.
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Crete’s wildlife and landscape are two of the island’s attractions, including gorges for hiking, rare raptors like the lammergeier, wildcats and ancient trees.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Zacharioudakis Winery near Ancient Gortina in southern Crete, and does a vineyard tour arranged by our guide from Go Crete.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Crete Botanical Gardens near Chania and finds a wonderland of colourful plants, trees, and flowers filling a lovely valley.
This olive grove walk from Limnes to Vrises on Crete also takes you through orchards and gives close-up views of some of the island’s windmills.
Greece Travel Secrets visits Visual Arts Crete who offer accommodation and run art courses at their home and studio in the village of Kastellos near Rethymnon.
The best Crete hotels include 5-star luxury hotels, historic and romantic Venetian palaces, and several hotels in Hania and Iraklion.
The Battle of Crete during World War 2 inspired several books and took place with an airborne invasion over Maleme on the north coast of the island.
The travel tale Our Hire Car in Crete describes what it’s like when you go driving in Greece and get off the beaten track, resulting in kindnesses.
Studies have shown the Cretan Diet as one of the healthiest in the world, involving lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, and moderate amounts of wine.
Greece Travel Secrets discovers Sitia, the main town in eastern Crete, with its relaxing waterfront, inexpensive hotels, good food, and nearby ancient sites.
Western Crete has some wonderful golden sand beaches as well as mountain villages, monasteries, caves, and archaeological sites to discover.
Western Crete in five days allows time to visit Chania and Rethymnon, enjoy the beaches, hike the Samaria Gorge and see the monasteries at Arkadi and Preveli.
The area east from Paleohora along the south-west coast of Crete includes resorts like Agia Galini, gorges like the Imbros Gorge and quieter towns like Sfakia.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Eastern Crete including restaurants and tavernas in Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, and Kato Zakros.
Greece Travel Secrets found these beautiful photos of Greece and the Greek islands by Athens-based photographer Milan Gonda.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Cretan Botano herbs and spices shop near Matala in southern Crete in search of the herb man of Kouses.
Greece Travel Secrets suggests where to stay in Eastern Crete with our favourite hotels in Zakros, Elounds, Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Istron Bay, Myrtos, Neapolis.
This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.
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