El Greco
Doménikos Theotokópoulos was born on the 1st of October 1541 in Candia, now known as Heraklion. This city served as the capital of Crete under Venetian rule during his lifetime. His family belonged to a prosperous urban class that had likely fled Chania after an uprising against Catholic Venetians between 1526 and 1528. He received initial training as an icon painter within the Cretan school. This tradition represented a leading center for post-Byzantine art at the time. By 1563, when he was twenty-two years old, documents described him as a master named "maestro Domenigo". He operated his own workshop by then. Three years later, in June 1566, he signed a contract as Master Ménegos Theotokópoulos, painter. Most scholars believe his family remained Greek Orthodox throughout their lives. One of his uncles was an Orthodox priest whose name does not appear in Catholic baptismal records from Crete.
El Greco traveled to Venice around 1567 to pursue his career. Giulio Clovio, a renowned miniaturist and close friend, called him a rare talent in painting. Clovio noted that El Greco worked as a disciple of Titian, who was already in his eighties but still vigorous. The artist moved to Rome in 1570 where he opened a workshop. Cardinal Alessandro Farnese invited him to stay at the Palazzo Farnese. There he met intellectuals like Fulvio Orsini. His works painted during this period showed strong Venetian influence with agile figures reminiscent of Tintoretto. He also adopted elements of Mannerism including violent perspective vanishing points. Strange attitudes struck by figures with repeated twisting gestures appeared frequently. A summer visit from Clovio found El Greco sitting in a darkened room because darkness suited his thought process better than daylight. He dismissed Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel despite acknowledging Michelangelo as a good man. He offered Pope Pius V permission to paint over the entire work according to new Catholic thinking.
In 1577, El Greco migrated first to Madrid then settled permanently in Toledo. This city served as the religious capital of Spain with an illustrious past yet uncertain future. Philip II of Spain struggled to find artists for large paintings needed to decorate the monastery-palace of El Escorial. Titian had died while other masters refused commissions. Juan Fernández de Navarrete provided serious and decorous work until his death in 1579. El Greco arrived in Toledo by July 1577 and signed contracts for paintings adorning Santo Domingo el Antiguo church. By September 1579 he completed nine paintings including The Trinity and The Assumption of the Virgin. These works established his reputation locally. He secured two important commissions from King Philip: Allegory of the Holy League and Martyrdom of St Maurice. The king disliked these pieces and placed the altarpiece in a chapter house instead of its intended chapel. No further royal commissions followed. Lacking favor from the monarch, El Greco remained in Toledo where he lived in considerable style. He rented a complex of three apartments containing twenty-four rooms belonging to the Marquis de Villena starting in 1585.
Immediate generations after El Greco's death on the 7th of April 1614 disdained his work because it opposed early Baroque style principles emerging near the beginning of the seventeenth century. Critics described his mature output as contemptible ridiculous and worthy of scorn. Antonio Palomino and Juan Agustín Ceán Bermúdez used terms such as strange queer original eccentric odd and mad. Late eighteenth-century Spanish commentators praised skill but criticized antinaturalistic style alongside complex iconography. Only his son Jorge Manuel and unknown painters produced weak copies of his paintings. Romantic sentiments arriving in the late eighteenth century prompted new examinations of his art. French writer Théophile Gautier regarded him as precursor to European Romantic movement craving for strange and extreme elements. He became ideal romantic hero misunderstood yet gifted. Zacharie Astruc and Paul Lefort promoted widespread revival interest in his painting during subsequent decades. By 1890s Spanish painters living in Paris adopted him as guide and mentor despite popular English-speaking imagination still viewing him as man who painted horrors in Escorial according to Ephraim Chambers
Cyclopaedia published that year.
Manuel Bartolomé Cossío published first comprehensive catalogue of El Greco's works in 1908 presenting him as founder of Spanish School. Julius Meier-Graefe traveled Spain expecting study Velázquez instead becoming fascinated by El Greco. His book Spanische Reise widely established El Greco as great painter outside narrow circle finding foreshadowing of modernity within work. Roger Fry described him archetypal genius doing what he thought best with complete indifference public effect. William Somerset Maugham wrote one greatest pictures world The Burial Count Orgaz. Jimmy Carter called most extraordinary painter ever came along back then maybe three four centuries ahead time. Diego Velázquez positioned main characters same manner as latter painting folds clothes similar fashion. Francisco Goya influenced several other Spanish painters after him. Eugène Delacroix Édouard Manet drew expressiveness colors from his art. Blaue Reiter group Munich 1912 typified mystical inner construction task generation rediscover. Paul Cézanne noticed structural code morphology mature El Greco revealing common elements distortion human body reddish unworked backgrounds rendering space similarities. Pablo Picasso studied Opening Fifth Seal owned Ignacio Zuloaga
since 1897 during Proto-Cubist period.
Exact number El Greco's works remained hotly contested issue throughout history. Rodolfo Pallucchini published highly influential study 1937 greatly increasing accepted works count attributing small triptych Galleria Estense Modena based signature back central panel. Consensus existed triptych indeed early work making publication yardstick attributions artist. Wethey denied connection altogether producing reactive catalogue 1962 reduced corpus materials greatly. José Camón Aznar attributed between 787 and 829 paintings while Halldor Sœhner recognized only 137 authentic works. Since 1962 discovery Dormition Virgin extensive archival research gradually convinced scholars assessments incorrect distorting perception whole nature origins development. Discovery led attribution three other signed works Doménicos including Modena Triptych St Luke Painting Virgin Child Adoration Magi acceptance more works authentic some signed others not like Passion Christ Pietà Angels painted 1566. Even Wethey accepted he probably painted little disputed triptych Galleria Estense Modena before leaving Crete. Disputes exact number authentic works remain unresolved status Wethey catalogue center disagreements. Few sculptures Epimetheus Pandora attributed doubtful basis testimony Pacheco saw figurines studio possibly models. Four drawings survive among surviving works
three preparatory altarpiece Santo Domingo Antiguo fourth study Crucifixion painting.
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Common questions
When and where was El Greco born?
Doménikos Theotokópoulos was born on the 1st of October 1541 in Candia, now known as Heraklion. This city served as the capital of Crete under Venetian rule during his lifetime.
Why did El Greco move to Toledo in 1577?
El Greco migrated first to Madrid then settled permanently in Toledo by July 1577 after Philip II of Spain struggled to find artists for large paintings needed to decorate the monastery-palace of El Escorial. He secured commissions from King Philip but the king disliked these pieces and placed the altarpiece in a chapter house instead of its intended chapel.
Who were some famous painters influenced by El Greco?
Francisco Goya influenced several other Spanish painters after him while Eugène Delacroix and Édouard Manet drew expressiveness colors from his art. Pablo Picasso studied Opening Fifth Seal owned Ignacio Zuloaga since 1897 during Proto-Cubist period and Blaue Reiter group Munich 1912 typified mystical inner construction task generation rediscover.
How many authentic works does El Greco have according to scholars?
José Camón Aznar attributed between 787 and 829 paintings while Halldor Sœhner recognized only 137 authentic works. Disputes exact number authentic works remain unresolved status Wethey catalogue center disagreements even though discovery Dormition Virgin extensive archival research gradually convinced scholars assessments incorrect distorting perception whole nature origins development.
When did El Greco die and what happened to his work immediately after?
El Greco died on the 7th of April 1614 and immediate generations disdained his work because it opposed early Baroque style principles emerging near the beginning of the seventeenth century. Critics described his mature output as contemptible ridiculous and worthy of scorn using terms such as strange queer original eccentric odd and mad.