RICONTRANS International Graduate Student Conference

RICONTRANS International Graduate Student Conference
Entangled paths: Greek and Russian icons in the Balkans (16th – 19th c.)

Location: BENAKI MUSEUM OF GREEK CULTURE, Athens, 1-2 June, 2022

The RICONTRANS International Graduate Student Conference took place at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, in Athens, during June 1-2, 2022

PROGRAM

 WEDNESDAY, June 1, 2022

10:00-11:45
ARTISTS AND WORKSHOPS
Chair: Yuliana Boycheva

Teodora Bradić, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
The education of Serbian icon painters in Russia

Simeon Tonchev, Institute of Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Russian Influences in the works of the Bulgarian artist Stanislav Dospevsky

Alkis Pantopoulos, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Reflections of everyday life in icon painters’ working drawings: examples from the Hatzidakis portfolio at the Benaki Museum

Greta Baka, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The depiction of saints in the working drawings of icon painters (anthivola) from the Hatzidakis portfolio at the Benaki Museum

Discussion

11:45-12:00 break

12:00-13:30
HOLY SPACE IN ART- ART IN HOLY SPACES
Chair: Anastasia Drandaki

Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Perceptions of space in Greek and Russian icons (15th-17th century)

Manos Tsikourakis, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Shaping the sacred space of an orthodox pilgrimage site: Greek and Russian religious art from the 16th to 18th centuries at the Monastery of Mt Sinai

Marija Lakić, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade 
Russian saints on the iconostasis in the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of Theotokos in Sarajevo

Discussion

13:30-14:30 pause

14:30-16:00
ART AND POLITICS IN THE BALKANS
Chair: Daria Resh

Nikolas Petsitis, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The gifts of Arsenios of Elasson (1550-1626): The political connotations of his donations to orthodox centres

Elisavet Margeti, Department of Political Science and History, Panteion University – Institute for Mediterranean Studies (FORTH) 
The image of the Balkans in 19th century Russian literature: orthodoxy, art and political influence

Teodora Andjelković, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
Wars and visual culture: Russian volunteers in Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876–1878)

Discussion

THURSDAY, June 2, 2022

10:00-11:45
RUSSIAN ICONS IN THE BENAKI MUSEUM
Chair: Alexandra Kalliga

Panagiota Diamatari, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Russian travelling triptychs: iconography, typology and use with examples from the Benaki Museum collection

Paraskevi Mavridi, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Representations of the Virgin in Russian icons from the Benaki Museum collection

Amalia Mpoura, Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art, University of Western Attica
Study on the gilding techniques and materials of Russian icons in the Benaki Museum

Anastasiya Pidchashynska, Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art, University of Western Attica
Physicochemical diagnosis and documentation of materials and technology of construction of Russian icons from the Benaki Museum collection

Discussion

11:45-12:00 break

12:00-13:30
HANDS-ON STUDY OF ICONS FROM THE BENAKI MUSEUM COLLECTION 

13:30-14:30 Pause

14:30-16:00
THE RUSSIAN PRESENCE IN THE AEGEAN
Chair: Mara Verykokou

Aspa Chalkiadaki, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Crete – Institute for Mediterranean Studies (FORTH)
The Russian fleet into the Aegean Sea. A naval expedition “vested” with ideology and religious propaganda

Eirini Touloupi, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Crete – Institute for Mediterranean Studies (FORTH)
Aspects of the Russian presence in Naxos through the objects of ecclesiastical art kept on the island

Kyriaki Prasinou, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Russian religious art in the Cyclades: examples from the island of Santorini

Discussion

16:00-16:30

Closing Remarks: Yuliana Boycheva and Anastasia Drandaki

Friday, June 3, 2022

Study Day at the Kanellopoulos Museum

International Colloquium: “Icônes : la fabrique matérielle du visuel”. Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, December 8-10, 2021

International Colloquium: “Icônes : la fabrique matérielle du visuel”
Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris

December 8-10, 2021

The International Colloquium: “Icônes : la fabrique matérielle du visuel,” which will take place in Paris at the Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (auditorium Institut national d’histoire de l’art Galerie Colbert, salle Giorgio Vasari) took place on December 8-10, 2021.

Three RICONTRANS team members gave talks on the panel: “De la Russie à la Grèce / From Russia to Greece,” on December the 8th:

Aleksandr Preobrazhenskii (The State Institute for Art Studies, Moscou). “Couches «moscovites» et «grecques» dans les icônes russes réalisées pour les orthodoxes orientaux (xve-xviiie siècle) / ‘Muscovite’ and ‘Greek’ Layers in Russian Pieces Made for the Eastern Orthodox Audience (15th-18th century)”

Yuliana Boycheva (Institut des études méditerranéennes – Fondation pour la recherche et la technologie, Rethumno). “Les icônes comme sources historiques : études des icônes russes dans les Balkans / Icons as Historical Sources: Studying Russian Icons in the Balkans”

Anastasia Drandaki (université nationale et capodistrienne d’Athènes – musée Benaki, Athènes). “Art invisible : les icônes russes dans les collections grecques / Invisible Art: Russian Icons in Greek Collections”


Scientific Symposium: “Art in Thessali during the Enlightenment (1770-1830)”. The Diachronic Museum of Larisa, November 26, 2021

Scientific Symposium
“Art in Thessali during the Enlightenment (1770-1830)”
The Diachronic Museum of Larisa, November 26, 2021

The Scientific Symposium: “Art in Thessali during the Enlightenment (1770-1830),” organized by the Diachronic Museum of Larisa, took place on November 26, 2021.

The PI of RICONTRANS, Dr. Yuliana Boycheva gave the following talk in greek: “Οι δεσποτικές εικόνες του τέμπλου του Αγ. Αχιλλείου Λαρίσης – συμβολή στην μελέτη ρωσικής θρησκευτικής τέχνης στα Βαλκάνια (18ος-19ος αι.)”

The symposium was held live and via the zoom platform.

Workshop on the Restoration of Russian Icons

Fourth Museikon Restoration Workshop: Approaches and Chalenges in the Restoration of Russian Icons, September 29-30, 2021

An online workshop on the Restoration of Russian icons (methodology and approaches) was organised via the zoom platform on September 29-30, 2021. RICONTRANS collaborator, Dumitrița Filip, presented her report on the analysis and research, from the restorator’s perspective, made on a group of Russian icons from the Museikon collection in Alba Iulia, for the RICONTRANS Project. The focus of the workshop was on the results of  the interdisciplinary research and collaboration with the chemist scholars. Several Romanian restorers who worked on Russian icons were invited to share their results. The workshop was open for all interested participants:

Zoom link Day 1: September 29, 2021: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hEYQBQi6SKKlkjmQmTmdbw

Zoom link Day 2: September 30,  2021:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_h5XGB7_ITwOFZZyDVMhIxg

“HORIZON EUROPE” ERC Information Day

“HORIZON EUROPE” ERC Information Day

FORTH and PRAXI Network are inviting you to the open public information day on the ERC funding program “HORIZON 2020”. A special presentation will be given by the RICONTRANS PI, Dr. Boycheva, on the funding of the RICONTRANS Project. The event will be held online via the zoom platform. For more information please visit the invitation page and the day’s agenda.

Training Seminar for the Postgraduate Students Involved in the RICONTRANS Project

Training Seminar for the Postgraduate Students Involved in the RICONTRANS Project

The training seminar took place in the Amphitheatre of the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, located in Athens, at 1 Koumbari Street & Vas. Sofias Avenue, on the 2nd floor.

The training was focused on the methodological approaches and tools of the RICONTRANS field research, the particularities of the project’s field research, the making of 16th-18th century Russian icons, the storage, identification, and expert evaluation of Russian artefacts in museum collections, as well as the documentation of Russian artefacts in the various collections and especially those in the Benaki Museum.

The training concluded with discussion and new planning under the circumstances and restrictions caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

Working Meeting, Rethymnon, 21 February 2020 The RICONTRANS Project Database: Presentation & Training

Working Meeting, Rethymnon, 21 February 2020
The RICONTRANS Project Database: Presentation & Training

An important working meeting took place in Rethymnon, at the premises of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies. The subject of the meeting was the presentation of the Project’s Database which is under construction. The Project’s Database was presented by the team of the Center for Cultural Informatics, of the Institute of Computer Science – FORTH. Members of the Host Institution participated alongside with graduate students of the University of Crete who will work on the database compiling process. The meeting was very fruitful as many issues were discussed and new goals regarding the designing of the base were set.

Working Meeting, Athens, December 18, 2019

Working Meeting, Athens, December 18, 2019

RICONTRANS second working meeting took place in Athens, at the Praxi Network premises, on December 18, 2019. Fourteen members from the Greek institutions participated, discussed the program’s progress, and set new goals.

Meeting’s program – 1st page, outside
Detail of Archangel Gabriel, 1819, 150 x 70 cm., oil on canvas, Platyteras Holy Monastery, Corfu. Photo credits: Platyteras Holy Monastery
Meeting’s program – 2nd page, inside
“Christmas”. Detail of Russian Icon of Dodecaorton in the Byzantine Museum, Kastoria.

RICONTRANS Kickoff Workshop

RICONTRANS Kickoff Workshop & Training Course on Russian Icon Painting and Iconography

The RICONTRANS Kickoff Workshop & Training Course on Russian Icon Panting and Iconography took place on the premises of the Host Institution, the Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS-FORTH) in Rethymnon, Crete, during June 18 through June 22, 2019. Twenty-one scholars from all over Europe came together to officially start the project and discuss its goals. Twenty six different talks were given.

In addition, the Photo Exhibition “Words on Icons: Russian Icons from Greece” was inaugurated on the opening day and was open to both general and academic audience. The exhibition lasted from June 18 until September 30, 2019.

Photo Exhibition: “Words on Icons: Russian Icons from Greece”