Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.
Saint Theodora is a tempera painting by Emmanuel Tzanes.  Emmanuel Tzanes was a priest and painter.  He was from Crete.  He migrated to Venice with his two brothers, painter Konstantinos Tzanes and poet Marinos Tzanes. Emmanuel was a priest at San Giorgio dei Greci.  The painters remaining works number over 130.  He painted in the Greek mannerisms prevalent at the time.  Empress Theodora is one of the most important figures in Greek-Italian Byzantine art history.  She ended the second scourge of iconoclasm.  The word literally means image breaking.  Countless priceless icons and paintings were destroyed.  The empress was a savior to artists.  The painting is at the Byzantine Museum in Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos Tzanes Empress Theodora Emmanuel Tzanes Marinos Tzanes San Giorgio dei Greci iconoclasm