Cretan School in the context of "Vitsentzos Kornaros"

Philotheos Skoufos (also Filotheos; Greek: Φιλόθεος Σκούφος; between 1615 and 1625 – 1685) was a Greek painter, educator and clergyman during the 17th century. He collaborated with Emmanuel Tzanes on several pieces while he was in Corfu. Philotheos was a member of the Cretan School and Heptanese School. His work was influenced by the Venetian school. He was briefly affiliated with the famous Greek church in Venice San Giorgio dei Greci. Emmanuel Tzanes and Konstantinos Tzanes were also in Venice around the same period and affiliated with San Giorgio dei Greci. He was the priest who presided over famous painter Ioannis Moskos's wedding. Philotheos was active on the Ionian Island while Theodore Poulakis and Elias Moskos also had active workshops. Skoufos most popular works were the Stoning of St Stephen and the Virgin in the Temple.

For about a thousand years, in obedience to interpretations of specific Bible passages, pictorial depictions of God the Father had been avoided by Christian artists. At first only the Hand of God, often emerging from a cloud, was portrayed. Gradually, portrayals of the head and later the whole figure were depicted, and by the time of the Renaissance artistic representations of God the Father were freely used in the Western Church.

God the Father can be seen in some late Byzantine Cretan School icons, and ones from the borders of the Catholic and Orthodox worlds, under Western influence, but after the Russian Orthodox Church came down firmly against depicting the Father in 1667, he can hardly be seen in Russian art. Protestants generally disapprove of the depiction of God the Father, and originally did so strongly.

Stephanos Tzangarolas (Greek: Στέφανος Τζαγκαρόλας, 1660-1675 – 1710) also known as Stephano Tzangarola. He was a Greek painter during the late Cretan Renaissance. He migrated from Crete to the island of Corfu. He is a member of the Heptanese School and the Cretan Renaissance. His contemporaries at the time were Panagiotis Doxaras, Theodore Poulakis and Elias Moskos. His artwork began to reflect the transition of the classical maniera greca of Crete to the more refined style of the Ionian Islands. His style resembles the transition of Gentile da Fabriano and Fra Angelico from the maniera greca to their respective styles. Tzangarolas paintings influenced countless artists both Italian and Greek. Some artists that reflect his style include Spyridon Sperantzas and Georgios Kastrofylakas. His paintings can be found all over Greece mainly Athens and the Ionian Islands. Some of his work is in Cairo and London. His student was famous Greek painter Andreas Karantinos.

Ioannis Pagomenos (Greek: Ιωάννης Παγωμένος, c.1285–after 1340) was a Greek painter in the Byzantine style active in Venetian-ruled Crete. He created fresco cycles for rural Orthodox churches under commission from ordinary members of the local peasant communities, who acted as collective patrons. While he could be considered a forerunner to the Cretan School, which saw success in producing hybrid-style icons for an international clientele, his work was more traditional in character and only incorporated Western influences in secondary details, as it catered to regional tastes. His style nonetheless shows significant development over the years. His frescos survive in four districts of the Chania prefecture, with the majority in the mountainous province of Selino, which displays the highest density of church painting in Crete. By 1337/8 Pagomenos was working together with his son Nikolaos within the framework of a small family workshop of painters, other examples of which are known from contemporary Crete and the Aegean.

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.

The Crucifixion is a tempera painting by Andreas Pavias, who was active in Crete during the second half of the 15th century and is considered part of the Cretan School. It is now in the National Gallery of Greece. The painting influenced countless arts. Georgios Klontzas, Emmanuel Lambardos, Ioannis Moskos created similar works. Pavias introduced multiple figures to his Crucifixion. Georgios Klontzas began to employ a similar method in his famous work In Thee Rejoiceth. A work that was emulated by Theodore Poulakis and Franghias Kavertzas. The painting exhibitedcharacteristics of the traditional maniera greca and the Venetian style.

The Fall of Man is a tempera painting by Theodore Poulakis. Poulakis was a Greek Baroque artist. He was a painter and teacher. He flourished during the Late Cretan School and the Heptanese School. He is often regarded as the father of the Heptanese School. His painting career was from 1635 to 1692. He was living in Venice at the age of 24. He mastered painting while he lived in the city. He was involved in the quarantia. He traveled all over the Ionian Islands and eventually settled on the island of Corfu. He also frequently returned to Venice. Over 130 of his paintings have survived. They can be found in Greece and Italy.

Adam and Eve have been depicted in Greek Italian art since the dawn of the new Christian religion. Countless painters adopted the subject matter. In the 16th century, a French goldsmith and engraver named Étienne Delaune created a series of old testament engravings. His work circulated Europe and in the 17th-century Venetian engraver and printer Stefano Scolari (1640 - 1691) replicated his work. The prints circulated throughout the Venetian world. Poulaki integrated Delaune's work in his paintings. One specific example was Poulaki's In Thee Rejoiceth . The artist used some of Delaune's engravings as inspiration for the masterpiece specifically in the upper portion. The Fall of Man is not an identical replica of an engraving by Delaune but it was inspired by his work. The work later inspired a similar painting by Greek painter Konstantinos Kontarinis. The Fall of Man is part of the Collection of Dimitris Kontominas in Athens, Greece. The painting was formerly part of the collection of Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata in Venice.

Jacob’s Ladder is a tempera painting created by Elias Moskos. Elias was a Greek painter originally from the island of Crete. By the 1650s he was living on the island of Zakynthos. He also worked on the island of Kefalonia. There were two other painters active during his lifetime with the same last name. Ioannis Moskos and Leos Moskos. The painter was also a prominent teacher. He also had a sizable fortune. Fifty-two of his paintings survived. He represented the Cretan School and the Heptanese School. His works typically combine both schools. His work was heavily influenced by engravings from all over the world some were Flemish. His artistic activity ranged from 1629 to 1687. Most of his remaining works are in Greece and Italy.

Jacob was a biblical figure from the old testament. He had a vision of a ladder or staircase reaching into heaven with angels traveling up and down the ladder. He heard the voice of God blessing him from the top of the ladder. God made a covenant with Jacob just as he did with his father Isaac and his father's father, Abraham. God told Jacob he would be with him wherever he goes and that his descendants "shall be like the dust of the earth". God promised that through Jacob's offspring would come a "blessing" for all of the peoples of the earth- the Christian tradition regards this as a foretelling of the coming of Christ. Countless artists depicted the old testament scene. The theme was adopted by Flemish artists.