| Michele Greco da Valona | |
| Birth Date: | 15th Century |
| Birth Place: | Vlorë, Albania |
| Death Date: | 16th Century |
| Known For: | Painting |
| Movement: | Adriatic Renaissance Italian Renaissance |
Michele Greco da Valona was a 15th/16th-century painter from Vlorë, in modern-day southern Albania. Michele represented the Adriatic renaissance. His art was similar to the style of Nicolaus Filantropinó, Fra Angelico, Paolo Uccello, Carlo Crivelli and Vincenzo de Rogata. Several of his works have survived, most notable of which is a controversial triptych featuring the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the people.[1] [2]
Very little is known about Greco's background; we only have his signature on four paintings, where he identifies as "Greco da Valona". His ethnic origin is disputed. Vokotopoulos (1997) and Catalano (2019) support a Greek origin,[3] [4] [5] Murolo (1992) and Koçollari (2018) support an Albanian origin.[6] [7] Between the 16th and 20th centuries, there were about a dozen artists who used the adjective Greco. Vokotopoulos claims that during the period that Michele Greco lived, the adjective was undeniably used to denote an ethnic Greek origin, and that it is only from the 17th century onwards that it was also used as a surname.[3] Koçollari claims that the adjective Greco indicates the painter's religious affiliation.[6] He was part of the refugees who migrated to Italy after the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Michele was active in Abruzzo and Molise. He is one of the few artists to have traveled all over Italy.[8]
He was trained as a Byzantine master. As Michele's career progressed he sheds his Italo-Byzantine style and exhibits a more sophisticated Venetian style. There is also evidence he was influenced by Vincenzo de Rogata. The evidence is in the triptych from the San Bernardino coven in Salerno.[9]
The painter's first work is a triptych he painted in 1505. It features the Madonna and Child between Saints John the Baptist and Adam, with a Pietà. The work was done for the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Guglionesi and is now in the Aquila museum. His signature poem at the bottom of the triptych provides some information about the artist.[10]
There are two other paintings in Guglionesi. One is dated 1505 and the other 1508. The earlier painting is the Madonna delle Grazie between Saints Rocco and Sebastiano. This work is very controversial because the Virgin is feeding breast milk to the people. Breast milk is reigning from the heavens. The painting has been featured in the Italian news on countless occasions. The final work dated 1508, featured Madonna between Saints Peter and Paul.[11]
"Καμιὰ δεκαριὰ καλλιτέχνες, ἀπὸ τὸν 16ο μέχρι τὸν 20ὸ αἰώνα, φέρουν τὸ παρωνύμιο Greco. Μερικὲς φορές – π.χ. στὴν περίπτωση τοῦ Δομηνίκου Θεοτοκοπούλου καὶ πρωίμων ζωγράφων, ὅπως τοῦ Giovanni Greco, ποὺ δούλευε τὸ 1529 στὸ Cividale, πρόκειται ἀναντίρρητα γιὰ ἐπίθετο δηλωτικὸ καταγωγῆς. Στὰ παραδείγματα τοῦ 17ου αἰ. καὶ τὰ μεταγενέστερα ἔχομε ἀντιθέτως νὰ κάνομε μὲ οἰκογενειακὸ ἐπώνυμο. Στὴν περίπτωση τοῦ ζωγράφου μας ἡ ὀνομασία Greco δηλώνει προφανῶς τὴν καταγωγή του. Πρόκειται γιὰ μετανάστη ποὺ δὲν ἔχει ἀκόμη τελείως ἀφομοιωθεῖ, ὅπως δείχνουν ἡ ἀναγραφὴ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἑλληνικὰ καὶ τοῦ ἔτους ἐπίσης ἑλληνικά, καὶ μάλιστα ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου, καὶ στὸ τέλος λατινικῶν ἐπιγραφῶν. [...] ἀναγράφει φαρδιὰ πλατιὰ τὴν πατρίδα του: De Lavelona. Ἔτσι ἦταν γνωστὴ κατὰ τὸν ὄψιμο Μεσαίωνα καὶ τὴν Ἀναγέννηση – παράλληλα μὲ τὴν ὀνομασία Valona, ποὺ ἐπεκράτησε – ἡ Αὐλών, στὴν σημερινὴ Ἀλβανία, τὴν ὁποία ἄλλωστε κατὰ διαστήματα εἶχαν καταλάβει οἱ Βενετοί. Ἐπὶ πλέον χαρακτηρίζει τὸν ἑαυτό του ὡς Ἕλληνα, [...]. Ὁ Μιχαήλ, Ἕλληνας ἀπὸ τὴν Αὐλώνα, μετανάστευσε ὅπως τόσοι ἄλλοι συμπατριῶτες του στὴν Ἰταλία, [...]."
"Di questo maestro non abbiamo altro che la firma sulle quattro opere realizzate tra Vasto (Chieti) e Guglionesi (Campobasso) nel giro di qualche mese, tra il gennaio e il settembre 1505, orgogliosamente rivendicate al proprio nome con l'indicazione precisa del luogo d'origine e una informazione sull'appartenenza etnica. Quel «Greco», infatti, più che un cognome va verosimilmente inteso come un riferimento alla nazionalità: «greco» era detto a quel tempo, chiunque provenisse dalle terre dell'Epiro e parlasse quella lingua."
"Michele pare apparire quasi dal nulla sulla sponda italiana dell'Adriatico, ove lascia la sua firma su quattro opere datate tra la fine del 1504 e l'estate del 1505, rivendicando la sua identità di greco e la città di origine, l'albanese Valona: [...]"