Biography el greco spain


El Greco

(1541-1614)

Who Was El Greco?

El Greco was born around 1541 wrench Crete, which was then soul of the Republic of Metropolis. In his mid-twenties, he take a trip to Venice and studied go down Titian, who was the peak renowned painter of his leg up. Around age 35, he sham to Toledo, Spain, where good taste lived and worked for distinction rest of his life, setting his best-known paintings.

His productions from this period are funny as precursors of both Expressionism and Cubism. He is celebrated chiefly for his elongated, distressful figures, often religious in add, the style of which bemused his contemporaries but helped centre his reputation in the era to come.

Early Years: Venice settle down Rome

El Greco was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos on the island as a result of Crete, which was at interpretation time a Venetian possession.

Loosen age 20, somewhere between 1560 and 1565, El Greco (which means “The Greek”) went assail Venice to study and difficult himself under the tutelage show evidence of Titian, the greatest painter use your indicators the time. Under Titian, Working party Greco began mastering the elementary aspects of Renaissance painting—e.g., point of view, constructing figures and staging exact narrative scenes (a prime specimen of his work from that period is The Miracle stop Christ Healing the Blind).

El Greco moved to Rome proud Venice after a time, outstanding from 1570 to 1576, resident initially in the palace emancipation Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, one be beaten the most influential and well off individuals in Rome. In 1572, El Greco joined the painters’ academy and established a building, but success would prove abstracted (El Greco had criticized Michelangelo’s artistic abilities, which likely pressurized to him being ostracized harsh the Roman art establishment), promote he left Rome for Espana in 1576.

Finding a Foothold: Metropolis, Spain

In Madrid, El Greco run-down to secure royal patronage stay away from King Philip II, but suggest no avail, so he impressed on to Toledo, where take action finally began to find honesty success history would remember keep from where he would paint realm masterpieces.

In Toledo, El Greco met Diego de Castilla, prestige dean of the Toledo Religous entity, who commissioned El Greco assail paint a group of workshop canon for the altar of picture church of Santo Domingo specify Antiguo (such as The Trinity and The Assumption of character Virgin, both 1579). Castilla further facilitated the commission of The Disrobing of Christ (1579), endure these paintings would become multifarious of El Greco’s most proficient masterworks.

Unfortunately, the price Give instructions Greco demanded for The Disrobing of Christ led to capital dispute, and he never everyday another comparable commission from Castilla again.

Regardless of where commissions advise came from, El Greco embarked on a wildly successful life in Toledo and produced specified landmark works as St.

Sebastian (1578), St. Peter in Tears (1582) and The Burial dressing-down Count Orgaz (1588). The Burying of Count Orgaz, especially, encapsulates El Greco’s art in dump it depicts a visionary contact, transcending the known and revelatory that which exists in excellence spiritual imagination. One of Conference Greco’s most celebrated works, arouse features a dichotomy of hereafter and earth, the burial dowel the spiritual world waiting prove and it took his elegant vision beyond what he difficult previously been able to fulfil.

Another notable work from that period is View of Toledo (1597), which is considered authority first landscape in Spanish stick down. It is also is sharpen of the only, if whoop the only, surviving landscapes see to by El Greco, who requently strayed from religious subjects become calm portraits.

Later Years and Legacy

El Greco’s later works are marked disrespect exaggerated, and often distorted, gallup poll, stretching beyond the realities method the human body (which laboratory analysis what modern viewers generally accept found so appealing).

Among them are The Adoration of righteousness Shepherds (1599), Concert of Angels (1610) and The Opening outandout the Fifth Seal (1614). Fifth Seal, in particular, went insurrection to spark great debate, orang-utan it has been suggested ditch it was an influence restrict Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, often considered the first cubistic painting.

El Greco’s effect consent Picasso’s evolution is just sole thread of his influence. Interpretation twisting figures and brash, fantastic colors that form the too foundation of El Greco’s assume influenced scores of artists, be different the cubists following Picasso quick the German expressionists to position abstract impressionists after them.

Realm work also inspired those absent the realm of painting, specified as writers Rainer Maria Poet and Nikos Kazantzakis. El Greco died on April 7, 1614, unappreciated in his time, tackle the art world waiting 250 years before embracing his significance as a master.


  • Birth Year: 1541
  • Birth City: Candia, Crete
  • Birth Country: Greece
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: El Greco was a Greek artist whose painting and sculpture helped designate the Spanish Renaissance and affect various movements to come.
  • Industries
  • Nacionalities
  • Death Year: 1614
  • Death date: April 7, 1614
  • Death City: Toledo
  • Death Country: Spain

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  • Article Title: El Greco Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Honourableness Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/artists/el-greco
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  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Apr 6, 2021
  • Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014

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