The painter of the Prayer on the Mount of Olives

Two artists worked on the frescoes of the exonarthex, who present completely different artistic personalities from a stylistic point of view, although they collaborated to carry out a single iconographic program. One of them was conventionally called the painter of the Prayer on the Mount of Olives, from the famous homonymous fresco in the exonarthex, where he also painted the representations of the Last Supper, the Bath, Christ teaching the meaning of the Bath and the Betrayal of Judas. The figures he draws, despite the fact that they are a component of a single whole, retain their autonomy, giving the impression that they have frozen in this position for eternity. The broad faces, supported by sturdy necks and painted with broad, bright ochre planes warmed with red spots or lines, have an expression full of spirituality, serene, peaceful, without tension, even in scenes of violence. The bodies are stocky, but robust, and plastically rendered. A particular characteristic of the painter's technique is considered to be the use of a white outline on the head and body, with which the figure is detached from the flat surface of the wall and its individuality is emphasized.

The folds of the garments are rendered with wide successive layers and bright highlights, which emphasize the body's volume. The mountainous landscape of the compositions is low and compact and develops in width. These specific stylistic characteristics connect the painter of the Prayer on the Mount of Olives with the painter of Protathos Manuel Panselinos and with the artistic production of the 1290s.