History of Crete Venice, overthrew official Venetian authorities and declared an independent Cretan Republic. The revolt took Venice five years to quell. During Venetian rule, the Greek population of Crete was exposed to Renaissance culture. A thriving literature in the Cretan dialect of Greek developed on the island. The best-known work from this period is the poem "Erotokritos" by Vitsentzos Kornaros (Βιτσένζος Κορνάρος). Another major Cretan literary figure was Nicholas Kalliakis (1645–1707), a Greek scholar and philosopher who flourished in Italy in the 17th Century. Georgios Hortatzis was author of the dramatic work "Erophile". The painter Domenicos Theotocopoulos, better known as El Greco,
N Painter N Painter Painter N was an Attic black-figure vase painter of the third quarter of the 6th century BC. His real name remains unknown. Painter N was named after the potter Nikosthenes, as he worked in the latter's workshop and was his most important collaborator. He should not be confused with his contemporary, the Nikosthenes Painter, active in the same workshop. Modern scholarship assumes that Painter N painted all known Nicosthenic amphorae. He also decorated several "kyathoi", cups and a "psykter". Some scholars suggest that Painter N and the potter Nikosthenes may be identical. The vases painted by Painter N