Theodoros Ralli

The present work shows Ralli at the height of his powers as a genre painter. Holy Friday, Greece depicts a church during preparations for Easter, with four girls working together to decorate the epitaph with flowers while a pair of monks converse. Showcasing the complexity of setting for which Ralli was renowned, the scene is elaborated with great attention to detail. The full glory of Ralli's discerning eye is evident, with the vibrant colours of the flowers arranged by the girls on the altar or strewn across the floor, the textures and folds of the girls' dresses, and the beautifully observed quality of shadow and light. All describes hushed solemnity and collaborative endeavour.

Born in Constantinople of Greek descent, Theodoros Ralli trained in Paris in the studio of leading pompier painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, through the support and patronage of King Otto of Greece. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1875, and in 1900 was appointed to the Jury of the Parisian International Exhibition. Gérôme's legendary draughtsmanship and photographic finish provided a model of perfection, which Rallis emulated with great success, yet, contrary to Gérôme, ethnographical precision and exactitude were also his guiding principles. Ralli spent most of his working life in France and Egypt. His genre paintings, as a consequence, were often nostalgic recollections of his homeland, with all of the details in the current scene suggesting emphatically Greek traditions.

The choice of 'Church genre' was a popular one with artists at the time, as it bridged the gap between the established preference for academic history and religious painting by the artistic establishment; the new currents in art, which upheld that a painting should reflect the spirit of its age; and the demands for  decorative pictures of the buying public. By depicting a contemporary scene within a composition that focused on traditional costumes and religious observances, Ralli imbued Holy Friday,Greece with a sense of timelessness and peacefulness, which enhanced its appeal to a public in the midst of coping with the socio-economic changes that rapid industrialisation and urbanisation had brought about.

Next to the old, Ralli juxtaposes the new, the young monk conversing with his elderly counterpart, and the ephemeral flowers contrasting with the ancient murals.