Saint Anthony - Ayios Antonios (2024) Painting by Menelaos Koyrkoybelas

Menelaos Kourkouvelas was born in Larissa, Thessaly, Greece in 1982.
He comes from the village of Kokkina Perivleptou in Thessaly and lived in Volos until he came of age.In Chania, he came into contact with the Cretan, the Venetian and the Ionian schools of iconography and attended classes in the workshop of the painter-hagiographer Fotini Mavromati.
The highlight of this course was his participation in the exhibition of Byzantine visual art "Art Light" held in the Venetian church of Agios Roccos in the area of Splantzia Chania. His participation in the exhibition received positive comments and was also mentioned by the local press of Magnesia, his homeland.

His hagiographic work is characterized by respect and reverence. He uses traditional materials bequeathed by the masters of the Cretan school of iconography. He works in art, adopting the old standards of the Cretan hagiographers with precision and fidelity, always following the dictates of the Church's tradition.

According to the artist, dealing with the sacred art of hagiography is not a simple process that represents something earthly and everyday.
The art of hagiography must be practiced with reverence and deep spirituality, observing the rules and walking into the steps of the great masters of this sacred art

Finally yet importantly, various works of the artist adorn private collections in Greece, Holland and Austria.

• Nationality: GREECE
• Date of birth : 1979
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary Greek Artists