Angelos Akotantos in the context of "Elias Moskos"

The 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.

Early painters from Crete included Nikolaos Philanthropinos 1380-1450, Ioannis Pagomenos 1285-1340 and Manuel Fokas. Philanthropinos completed some mosaics in Venice, Italy at St Mark's Basilica in the 1430s. The fathers of the Cretan school are considered Angelos Akotantos, Andreas Pavias and Andreas Ritzos. Some of their works include: Saint Anne with the Virgin, The Virgin Pantanassa and The Crucifixion. Between 1454 and 1526, Crete was saturated with painting workshops, and the number of painters exceeded 145. Some painters, such as Nikolaos Gripiotis, produced mass quantities of unsigned icons for Italian and Greek patrons during the period, while other painters chose to sign their works.

Nikolaos Philanthropinos (Greek: Νικόλαος Φιλανθρωπηνός, c. 1380–1385 – c. 1435–1450), also known as Nicolaos Philanthropenos and Nicolaus Filantropinó or Philastropino, was a Byzantine Greek painter. He was active in Crete, Venice, and Constantinople. He was a very famous painter during the onset of the Italian Renaissance, the end of the Palaeologan Renaissance and the beginning of the Greek Renaissance. He worked with Venetian master Nicolaus Storlado. His contemporaries in Crete were Manuel Fokas and Ioannis Pagomenos. He brought the art of Constantinople to Venice and Crete. He influenced both Greek and Italian art. Artists he influenced include: Angelos Akotantos and Andreas Ritzos. He completed some mosaics for St Mark's Basilica in Venice.

Andreas Pavias (Greek: Ανδρέας Παβίας; 1440 – 1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator, one of the founding fathers of the Cretan school. His works could be found in churches and private collections throughout Italy and Greece, where they influenced countless artists. Seven of these paintings survive today, six bearing Pavias's signature. The most famous of the group is The Crucifixion.

Pavias learned his craft from Angelos Akotantos, and was affiliated with Andreas Ritzos. He experimented with different techniques, and his paintings incorporate stylistic traits from the Venetian school. Angelos Pitzamanos was the student of Pavias, who also influenced the works of such Cretan school artists as Theodore Poulakis, Georgios Klontzas, and Michael Damaskenos.

Andreas Ritzos (Greek: Ανδρέας Ρίτζος; 1421—1492; also spelled Rico, Ricio or Rizo) was a Greek icon painter from Crete. Ritzos is considered one of the founding fathers of the Cretan school. He was affiliated with Angelos Akotantos. Most of his work stylistically follows the traditional maniera greca. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were also painters. He was one of the most influential painters of the Cretan school along with Andreas Pavias and Angelos Akotantos. He influenced the works of Georgios Klontzas, Nikolaos Tzafouris, Theophanes the Cretan, Michael Damaskinos and El Greco. According to the Institute for Neohellenic Research, sixty of his paintings have survived.

Saint Anne with the Virgin is a tempera painting attributed to the Greek painter Angelos Akotantos. Angelos Akotantos is one of the founding members of the Cretan School along with Andreas Ritzos, Andreas Pavias, and Nikolaos Tzafouris. Angelos Akotantos was active during the first half of the 15th century. According to the Institute of Neohellenic Research, fifty paintings are attributed to Angelos Akotantos.

Angelos was extremely educated and owned a valuable library. He was a chanter and teacher of music; the Venetian authorities appointed him protopsaltis (first chanter), an honorable position carrying a government salary. He also taught painting; some of his students were Andreas Pavias, Andreas Ritzos, Antonios Papadopoulos, and Nikolaos Tzafouris. His works have been copied for over five hundred years.

The Virgin Pantanassa is a tempera painting by Andreas Ritzos. Ritzos was a Greek painter active on the island of Crete. He flourished from 1435 to 1492. The painter has an existing catalog of over sixty works attributed to him. He signed his works in both Greek and Latin. He is one of the most influential painters of the Cretan Renaissance. He painted in the traditional Greek-Italian Byzantine style. His work was also heavily influenced by Venetian painting. His teacher was Angelos Akotantos. He was also affiliated with Andreas Pavias. His son was famous Greek painter Nikolaos Ritzos. Ritzo's Italian contemporaries were Paolo Uccello and Fra Angelico. They all painted a mixture of the Greek-Italian Byzantine and Italian Renaissance styles. The art of Crete was heavily influenced by the founder of the Venetian school Paolo Veneziano.

The Virgin and Child was a popular subject matter among painters. Both Greek and Italian artists used the theme in countless works of art since the inception of the religion. The Virgin and Child enthroned was an important theme. The Greek term Pantanassa (Greek: Παντάνασσα), means the "Queen of All". The term was used to refer to the Virgin Mary as Queen of All. Greek painters created dozens of versions of the Madonna and Child Enthroned. Georgios Klontzas, Michael Damaskinos, Georgios Nomikos, and Emmanuel Tzanes are some of the painters that created their own versions. Tzanes's Lady the Lambovitissa is an example of the expert craftsmanship of the painters and the evolution of the style. Each version offers its own unique characteristics and style. The Virgin Pantanassa is one of the earliest surviving versions of the Cretan School attributed to a painter. It is located in the museum of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, Patmos, Greece.