DODWELL Edward (9)

Archaeologist and painter Edward Dodwell (1767-1832), who came from a noble and rich Irish family, was born in Dublin and studied literature and archeology at Trinity College in Cambridge. Thanks to the economic comfort provided by his great fortune, he avoids the need to acquire a profession and gives himself to the researches about the Mediterranean civilizations.

In 1801, he traveled with Ionian Islands (Corfu, Zante etc.) and the region of Troy together with Atkins and well-known traveler W. Gell. In 1805-06, he travels to Rumeli with his traveling companion, Simone Pomardi. He then settled in Naples and Rome and marries a woman thirty years younger from him. He was an honorary member of many European cultural foundations. He falls ill while doing expeditions in the mountains of Italy. His large collection (coins, 115 copper items, 143 amphoras), which he created from archaeological artifacts, was sold to the Munich Sculpture Museum after being housed in his home in Rome for a while.
Being a prolific writer and also a visual artist, Dodwell reveals his multi-faceted talent consisting of an archaeologist, a sense of curiosity, critical gaze and artist sensitivity in his works that are unique to the period. For the first time in his work, we have the opportunity to recognize the true discovery of a "space": The march combines information based on the monument, history, contemporary people and bibliographies as a means of discovery and recognition.

The journey, which is described in these two volumes of publications and has rich data in archeology and topography material, creates an infinite wealth of information about the public and private lives of the Greeks before the rebellion (1821).

In late April 1801, Dodwell took a smart and read Greek from Santorini, whom he had met in Italy, as an interpreter and set off from Venice. He crosses the Adriatic sea and arrives in Corfu under Russian-Ottoman occupation with his travel companions within a month. Their journey continues towards Paksos islands, Parga, Leukada (Santa Mavra). In his book, Dodwell writes about the nose of Lefkata, where ancient Greek poet Saffo, according to ancient ruins, products, villages and legend, fell into the sea because of his desperate love for Faon. From here, he goes to Preveza and visits the archaeological site in Nikopolis, continues to the island of Ithaka, writes about the geography and economic situation there and about the search for ancient ruins. Finally Kefalonia ‘

In 1805 Dodwell, along with the artist Simone Pomardi, arrives in Zante from the port of Messina in Sicily, where he writes about the villages, population, products; he then goes to Mesolongi. He writes about the persecution of Tepedelenli Ali Pasha to the local people, local products, the Akheloos river and the Echinades archipelago. After the journey, he reached Patra and became the guest of the consul Nikolaos Stranis. Stranis’s mansion had been the meeting place of many European guests for years. Dodwell’s visit to Patra confirms his theoretical knowledge about them. Speaking of Contemporary Patra, the city’s architectural layout is easily understandable (noting that "the houses of Greeks are lime and the houses of Turks are painted in red"), writes about its economic condition (including products exported from the region). In Patra, he visits the castle, the famous big-bodied cypress tree, the church of Saint Andrea and the holy spring (holy water source). He adds the pattern that his travel companion Pomardi has drawn and displays the sacred source. Noting that many black slaves were found in Patra, Dodwell also made efforts to acquire some archaeological artifacts. He especially revives the city’s historical memory while writing about Patra. In his travel statement, he documents his own knowledge scientifically with the ancient sources he used while displaying the contemporary reality of Greece and previous travel testimonies. He adds the pattern that his travel companion Pomardi has drawn and displays the sacred source. Noting that many black slaves were found in Patra, Dodwell also made efforts to acquire some archaeological artifacts. He especially revives the city’s historical memory while writing about Patra. In his travel statement, he documents his own knowledge scientifically with the ancient sources he used while displaying the contemporary reality of Greece and previous travel testimonies. He adds the pattern that his travel companion Pomardi has drawn and displays the sacred source. Noting that many black slaves were found in Patra, Dodwell also made efforts to acquire some archaeological artifacts. He especially revives the city’s historical memory while writing about Patra. In his travel statement, he documents his own knowledge scientifically with the ancient sources he used while displaying the contemporary reality of Greece and previous travel testimonies.

Due to an epidemic in Dodwell Peloponnese, he chose to go to Athens in another way, passing through Nafpaktos (Inebahtı), Galaksidi (watching the carnival shows here) and passing through Amfisa (here he is a guest at the house of a Kefalonian doctor and visits the voivodeship), climbs to Parnasos mountain, Hriso stops in his village and stays in Kastri, touring the fountain of Kastalya and few ancient ruins that can be seen in Delfi at that time. The road passes through Arahova and Distomo and takes it to the ancient site of Trophonius priests in Livadia, from there it continues to other Boeotia villages (Orchomenos, Aliartos, Thespiae). Crossing the Eleutherae road and the Eleusis plain, on March 26, Lord Elgin’s work teams arrive in Athens when the Acropolis was removing the relief marbles. Dodwell will stay here until September Attica Almost all of them (Pendeli mountain, Fili, Acharnai, Kifisia, Vrauron, Porto Rafti, Thorikos, Lavrion, Sunion, Piraeus) and Aegina and Salamis islands. In addition to archaeological issues, he also writes about the dances, music and games of the Greeks, baths and even insects and birds.

After Athens, he passes through Thiva (Thebai), Kopais lake, Thermopylae and Lamia, Stylis and Almyros to Volos and Pelion; in his article he mentions all the ancient city ruins he met along the way. After that, Larissa and Ambelakia come to the superior level of life here, highly influenced by cultured people and the cotton yarn dyeing industry. Thessaly plain returns to Athens after passing through Lilaia, Amfikleia, Fokida, Boeotia and stopping at Chalkida and Marathon. He stays here all summer. In December of 1805, we find him touring the Argos-Corinth region: Dafni monastery, Eleusis and its religious mysteries, Megara, Corinthian isthmus, Corinthian fortress, Kechries, Nemea and its vineyards, Acropolis and ancient theater in Argos, the treasure of Mykene and Atreus, Tiryns and Nauplion, The ruins of the Epidaurus and Asclepius temple, Troizina, Methana, Poros are places he traveled and wrote. Then, on the road of Aegion, Sikyon passes through Xylokastron and stops in the local inns and after Patra, he reaches Olympia on January 24, 1806, depicting all villages of Achaia and Ileia (Elis). In the continuation of the trip, Messini visits Sparta in late February after visiting the ruins in Megalopolis and Vassai. After crossing Arkadiya and Achaia (by stopping at Tegea, Tripoli, Mantineia, Orchomenos, Stymphalia, Feneos, Kalavryta, Mega Spilaion), it reaches Patra in the spring and finally reaches Rome on September 18, 1806. After passing, he stops at the inns of the region and after Patra, he reaches Olympia on January 24, 1806, depicting all the villages of Achaia and Ileia (Elis). In the continuation of the trip, Messini visits Sparta in late February after visiting the ruins in Megalopolis and Vassai. After crossing Arkadiya and Achaia (by stopping at Tegea, Tripoli, Mantineia, Orchomenos, Stymphalia, Feneos, Kalavryta, Mega Spilaion), it reaches Patra in the spring and finally reaches Rome on September 18, 1806. After passing, he stops at the inns of the region and after Patra, he reaches Olympia on January 24, 1806 by describing all the villages of Achaia and Ileia (Elis). In the continuation of the trip, Messini visits Sparta in late February after visiting the ruins in Megalopolis and Vassai. After crossing Arkadiya and Achaia (stop by Tegea, Tripoliçe, Mantineia, Orchomenos, Stymphalia, Feneos, Kalavryta, Mega Spilaion), it reaches Patra in the spring and finally reaches Rome on September 18, 1806.

After documenting and archiving the archaeological remains that he visited, using the camera obscura technique, Dodwell aimed to combine art with the scientific view. In his published three volumes of his work, which is a basic resource for all travelers who traveled to Greece after him and which is still a very useful work in archaeological research, there are nearly 400 pictures of landscape and historical monuments drawn by Dodwell. Recently, dozens more patterns have appeared that have not been known to date.

The book in question contains colored stone print (aquatinta / painted water) paintings based on Dodwell’s own drawings. Each picture is followed by Dodwell’s explanatory notes in English and French. In the introduction, it is mentioned that 60 of them were chosen to be published from nearly 1000 sketches, and these were drawn and colored and printed with a special drawing style, but the number of copies printed for financial reasons was low. These drawings are supplements to the Dodwell "Seyahatname" and require the text to be read along with the picture to identify the people and events in the picture. The desire to convey what the artist depicted by staying true to the truth, as well as the effort to record pleasant details from everyday life, is evident in the displayed images.

Written By: İoli Vingopoulou

Posted by @skaradogan on 2020-04-20 13:41:17

Tagged: , DODWELL , Edward