GEORGE SFOUGARAS ARTWORKS

THE FORGOTTEN CONQUERORS TALES FROM THE CASTLE OF THE MOAT A PERSONAL REAPPRAISAL OF THE CRETAN EMIRATE 827 – 961 THROUGH ART AND PROSE ⓒ GEORGE SFOUGARAS  ‘The Forgotten Conquerors’ refers to a period in Crete’s history which is neglected in favour of the more acceptable Greek and Venetian eras. A few coins, a remarkable 11th century Byzantine codex and the writings of some enlightened historians have ensured that we can critically reflect on a significant period in Crete’s history. I am indebted and grateful to historian Mohamad Ballan, for his permission to use his outstanding work and archaeologist Liana Starida for allowing me to use references from her remarkable oeuvre, in piecing together this personal response to a history of my birthplace, Crete.  The Andalusian Arabs who established an independent Emirate on the island of Crete were absent in any of the history books when I was growing up. Even as I am researching and illustrating this bo...

  TALES FROM AN OLD FORT TOWN  Exhibition in Chania, Crete, October 2018. A PERSONAL RESPONSE TO THE JEWISH HISTORY OF CRETE THROUGH ART (The Old Fort Town referred to is my birthplace of  Herakleion, Crete). As I prepare for the exhibition  of prints  at Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chania  I am grateful that the little book has been augmented by input from a sympathetic editor John Chapple of Lycabettus Press and supported by the Synagogue director Anja.  I was fortunate to be introduced to the talented poet Shelley Tracey, whose poems now accompany the illustrations, adding a new powerful aspect to the book.  The illustrations from the book were used as a backdrop to the Holocaust teacher training event in May in Crete, in memory of  Nikos Stavroulakis , who was the driving force behind the Synagogue's restoration. As an addendum to the exhibition of the nine colour Giclee prints, I produced 5 editions of 10 prints, using fi...