Icons...

During the Komnenos dynasty (1081-1180), the Byzantine style, which had been rigid and highly formalised up to that point, began to move towards realism and emotional expression in the figures and in their settings.

The golden age of Cypriot icon painting was the 12th century, when the island's rulers invited celebrated artists from Constantinople to paint frescoes in the monasteries and churches which they founded. In the 13th century, the Byzantine tradition continued.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, many artists sought refuge on Cyprus under the protection of Queen Helena Palaeologus, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI. Under the influence of these painters, a new school developed on Cyprus in which elements of Palaeologon technique survived, blended with elements of Italian art.

Few icons survive from the period immediately after the Ottoman capture of the island in 1571, which marked the decline of the Cypriot school. One notable exception is the icon of St. George, painted in 1599.

After the Ottoman invasion, many religious painters abandoned the island. At the same time, icons began to be imported from the Ionian islands and Crete.

Sources: Raymond Hiscock: Open Letters From Cyprus