Background
He grew up during the years of the Greek War of Independence. His father was, in fact, hanged by the Ottoman Army near the very beginning of the war, in 1821, and he had to flee with his mother into the mountains.
He grew up during the years of the Greek War of Independence. His father was, in fact, hanged by the Ottoman Army near the very beginning of the war, in 1821, and he had to flee with his mother into the mountains.
He was one of the founders of the "Munich School", composed of Greek artists who had studied in that city. Thiersch took him to Munich, where he attended the "Panhellenion", a school for orphans of the Greek revolution, founded by King Ludwig I. After completing his studies, he returned to Greece and enrolled at the Athens School of Fine Arts.
By 1832, he was in an orphanage, where his artistic talent was discovered by Friedrich Thiersch, a scholar who had played a significant role in making a Bavarian prince (Otto) the new King of Greece. In 1844, he returned to Munich on a scholarship and was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts. After graduation, he spent ten years travelling throughout Europe, including a two-year stay in Greece from 1848 to 1850.
At the end of his travels, he exhibited some of his works relating to the Sieges of Messolonghi at the Exposition Universelle.
Most of these canvases were destroyed by a fire in 1929. From 1861 to 1863, he worked in Manchester, England, painting murals at the Orthodox "Church of the Annunciation".
Four years later, he took part in a major exhibition at the Galerie Delegate Vecchio in Leipzig. He painted little during the last decade of his life, due to an eye ailment.
His death was due to heart disease.
In his will, he left all of the works in his studio to the University of Athens and 760 Marks to repair the roof of the Salvatorkirche in Munich. Many of his paintings were widely distributed in the form of lithographs.