Konstantinos Volanakis, the Poet of the Sea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63385/cvca.v1i2.276Keywords:
Digital Cultural Heritage, Greek Art, Greek Seascape Painting, Piraeus and Maritime Identity, Art EducationAbstract
In this paper, we will study the work of Konstantinos Volanakis, a leading yet underrated figure in 19th-century Greek seascape painting. We will explore his unique artistic identity through the prism of history and symbolism, emphasizing the thematic richness and emotional depth of his nautical iconography. The study will explore Volanakis’s seascape painting as an existential and cultural heritage treasure, its place in the broader context of Greek art, and the reasons behind its limited recognition. Central to this study is the integration of digital technologies. For the needs of this study, an interactive website, a virtual exhibition, and a digital timeline were created - designed to enhance accessibility and public participation. This digital study was established by the author's interactive work, entitled "Konstantinos Volanakis, the Poet of the Sea", which is implemented as an online platform and was created for the needs of the course "WWW and Digital Collections Management", for the master’s program in Digital Culture from the University of Piraeus. By connecting it to the present, the research demonstrates how Volanakis' themes of travel, migration, and "belonging" have an effect in contemporary contexts, while at the same time highlighting the potential of digital cultural heritage works to promote critical thinking and preserve collective memory.
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