Nikolaos Gysis, one of the finest modern Greek painters,
was born on the island of Tinos but grew up in Athens,
where he attended classes at the Athens School of Fine
Arts. In 1865, he received a scholarship to study at the
renowned Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where he
mastered a flawless technique and the tenets of academic
realism. He spent most of his life in Munich, where he
became full professor at the Academy, returning to Greece
only occasionally. His journey to Asia Minor with fellow
artist Nikephoros Lytras enriched his palette and shifted
his focus to Greek genre themes. The output of his later
years became more poetic and idealistic, often inspired by
Greek mythology and religious themes, with a discernible
influence of symbolism.