Goodbye Delos

This painting captures a moment from this summer when we were leaving the ancient site of Delos near Mykonos Greece.  Delos was the place that is responsible for the term 'Delian League'.  This league came about after the Persian invasions into Greece during the 490/480 BC period.  They continued to be a threat to the Greeks even after the battle of Salamis 479 BC where the Athens comprehensively defeated the Persians in a sea battle.  The solution to the Persian problem was for a league to be formed where members donated money and in return were protected by the Athenians from the Persian threat.  Over time many small (and large ) islands felt that paying into the Delian League was unnecessary because the Persians seemed to be less of a threat.  When such islands tried to leave the Delian League it was then that they realised that they did not have a choice to pay or not pay into this 'protection racket'.  This effectively became the Athenian empire of the 5th century BC.  Money was paid to the 'neutral' island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo, god of the sun.  This money was later used to build the world famous buildings on the Acropolis in Athens.

Goodbye Delos, oil painting on canvas 117x106cm



Our visit to Delos was hot, but also worth the effort of the boat ride on the Margarita and the ramble around the ruins of the deserted city.  On our return journey to Mykonos on board the Margarita I struggled to keep my eyes open due to the heat, the non stop rambling around Delos and the gentle rocking of the boat.  This painting captures this final moment where tiredness takes over from the enjoyment of seeing Delos after waiting for 20 years to see it.

Goodbye Delos, carbon pencil and coloured pencil sketch, A3