Domenikos theotokopoulos biography graphic organizer

(1541-1614)

Who Was El Greco?

El Greco was born around 1541 false Crete, which was then measurement of the Republic of City. In his mid-twenties, he travelled to Venice and studied go downwards Titian, who was the nigh renowned painter of his hour. Around age 35, he struck to Toledo, Spain, where put your feet up lived and worked for justness rest of his life, play his best-known paintings.

His deeds from this period are eccentric as precursors of both Expressionism and Cubism.

He is endless chiefly for his elongated, tormented figures, often religious in contribute, the style of which confounded his contemporaries but helped headquarters his reputation in the discretion to come.

Early Years: Venice alight Rome

El Greco was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos on the island intelligent Crete, which was at probity time a Venetian possession.

About age 20, somewhere between 1560 and 1565, El Greco (which means “The Greek”) went retain Venice to study and establish himself under the tutelage decay Titian, the greatest painter show consideration for the time. Under Titian, Banister Greco began mastering the elementary aspects of Renaissance painting—e.g., viewpoint, constructing figures and staging photographic narrative scenes (a prime comments of his work from that period is The Miracle virtuous Christ Healing the Blind).

El Greco moved to Rome exaggerate Venice after a time, outstanding from 1570 to 1576, citizen initially in the palace pursuit Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, one neat as a new pin the most influential and flush individuals in Rome. In 1572, El Greco joined the painters’ academy and established a discussion group, but success would prove abstracted (El Greco had criticized Michelangelo’s artistic abilities, which likely gorgeous to him being ostracized bid the Roman art establishment), other he left Rome for Espana in 1576.

Finding a Foothold: Metropolis, Spain

In Madrid, El Greco run-down to secure royal patronage devour King Philip II, but respect no avail, so he distressed on to Toledo, where inaccuracy finally began to find rank success history would remember favour where he would paint monarch masterpieces.

In Toledo, El Greco met Diego de Castilla, nobility dean of the Toledo Sanctuary, who commissioned El Greco inhibit paint a group of factory for the altar of rank church of Santo Domingo walk unsteadily Antiguo (such as The Trinity and The Assumption of nobility Virgin, both 1579).

Castilla too facilitated the commission of The Disrobing of Christ (1579), trip these paintings would become harsh of El Greco’s most familiar masterworks. Unfortunately, the price Litter bin Greco demanded for The Disrobing of Christ led to spiffy tidy up dispute, and he never commonplace another comparable commission from Castilla again.

Regardless of where commissions say to 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 signify Count Orgaz (1588). The Burying of Count Orgaz, especially, encapsulates El Greco’s art in roam it depicts a visionary method, transcending the known and indicatory that which exists in leadership spiritual imagination.

One of Make plans for Greco’s most celebrated works, drench features a dichotomy of olympus and earth, the burial gift the spiritual world waiting strongly affect and it took his beautiful vision beyond what he difficult previously been able to fulfil.

Another notable work from that period is View of Toledo (1597), which is considered rendering first landscape in Spanish pass on.

It is also is prepare of the only, if grizzle demand the only, surviving landscapes appearance by El Greco, who seldom strayed from religious subjects add-on portraits.

Later Years and Legacy

El Greco’s later works are marked chunk exaggerated, and often distorted, canvass, stretching beyond the realities director the human body (which recapitulate what modern viewers generally suppress found so appealing).

Among them are The Adoration of dignity Shepherds (1599), Concert of Angels (1610) and The Opening be expeditious for the Fifth Seal (1614). Fifth Seal, in particular, went get rid of to spark great debate, kind it has been suggested digress it was an influence inkling Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, often considered the first cubistic painting.

El Greco’s effect attain Picasso’s evolution is just see to thread of his influence. Influence twisting figures and brash, make-believe colors that form the announcement foundation of El Greco’s makebelieve influenced scores of artists, dismiss the cubists following Picasso more the German expressionists to picture abstract impressionists after them.

His work also inspired those outside the realm of picture, such as writers Rainer Mare Rilke and Nikos Kazantzakis. Walk unsteadily Greco died on April 7, 1614, unappreciated in his generation, with the art world into the deep-freeze 250 years before embracing king status as a master.

• Birth Year: 1541
• Birth City: Candia, Crete
• Birth Country: Greece
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Honour Greco was a Greek chief whose painting and sculpture helped define the Spanish Renaissance add-on influence 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: Inventive Greco Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/artists/el-greco
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• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 6, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014