Location information

The island of Art

  Tinos, island of art and beauty, boasts many architectural and artistic treasures, which can be seen at the important museum of folk - and religious art.
  Nature endowed this island not only with plenty of materials such as white and green marble, slate and granite, but also with a unique environment which undeniably inspires the artistically inclined. It is the island's miracle which makes artists want to sing its praises. Soulless marble comes alive under their chisels. Stone and wood take shape according to the artist's inspiration. Landscapes and nature are immortalised with brush and canvas.
  It is nature that has played the first and most important role in the formation of the artistic spirit and mood. Old traditions, that are still very much alive today, have also contributed, giving us great sculptors and painters.
  The most famous sculptor of antiquity, Phideas, seems to have had strong links with the island. There are two traditional versions:
•The father of Phideas was from Tinos
•This great sculptor taught art to the Tiniots during his period of exile. A lucky coincidence brought him to Tinos when his ship, on the way to Delos, was wrecked in the region of Kinia.
  The island's artists played a considerable role in the development of Modern Greek Fine Art. Eminent Tiniot artists are the founders of modern Greek sculpture and painting.
  Characteristic examples of traditional Tiniot art: dovecots, Tiniot houses, churches and clock-towers, wicker work.
  Today, a great number of artists works on Tinos, as well as many families of sculptors, who keep the old traditions of the island alive and teach them to a younger generation; a task which is sacred to them.

This text is cited Apr 2003 from the University of Patras' XENIOS DIAS website URL below.

• http://www.cyclades-info.gr/a/4d230bb3ea8a9c6dc225...