Chat with us, powered by LiveChat
Art Exhibition at Chania

July 7, 2022

John Craxton’s “A Restless Soul” Is the Must-See Exhibition at Chania

A Greek Culture’s enthusiast and an art’s lover, John Craxton has described in his own way the timeless miracle of bliss through personal expression.

A travel through drawings, paintings and the routes that led him to Arcadia, Crete. This uplifting personal saga, reflected in brilliant pictures, charts a voyage from darkness into light. It is titled “A Greek Soul” and commenced in the Benaki Museum in Athens. In October, it will be transferred to the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania (October 2022 until January 2023) and later it will be presented to London.

John Craxton captured Greece, and mostly his beloved Crete, finding the Greek soul in almost everything. His protagonists range from mischievous cats, frolicking goats, napping friends dazed by the summer heat, to sailors nibbling on fries and Greek salad at the taverna.

With much of his work never previously exhibited, he can only now be recognised as an unrivalled portraitist of Greek faces and places from the middle of the 20th century. Featuring many unknown works from the Craxton Estate, the revelatory Benaki Museum survey will comprise 90 artworks covering every period of the artist’s career. The display ranges from prints and drawings to paintings and a vast tribute tapestry, plus photos and personal effects.

Craxton’s art style combines opposition, bohemian lifestyle and the nomadic perception of a witness who experienced the dark times of WWII, but also absorbed some of the joy he preserved in his canvases. Take some time to examine the huge Landscape with the Elements tapestry Craxton designed and oversaw in Edinburgh while exiled under the Colonels. Inspired by traditional Cretan weaving, it sums up his love of the Greek world.

Words have many different meanings. So does the Domes experience.

Related Posts

Domes Nominated for the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2025

Each journey begins with a desire. Each return, with trust. It is with sincere appreciation that we share Domes has…

more...

May 6, 2025

Wellness Escapes: Spa Journeys Inspired by the Soul of Corfu

There are places where wellness is whispered by the sea. Where rituals are passed down in quiet gestures, and healing…

more...

May 2, 2025

Portuguese Wine Tasting: Vineyards to Visit in the Algarve

Golden light, wild coastline, and the slow rhythm of southern Portugal. The Algarve is often praised for its beaches and…

more...

April 25, 2025

The Magic of Holy Week in Elounda: Local Customs and Must-See Celebrations

In Crete, and particularly in Elounda, Easter transcends mere festivity; Holy Week, or "Megali Evdomada," is a period rich with…

more...

April 17, 2025