El Greco
Biography and Paintings of Domenikos Theotocopoulos, Mannerist Artist From Greece
Visual Arts Guide

The Holy Trinity (1577)

El Greco (c.1541-1614)

Now considered to be one of the great Old Masters, El Greco (full name Domenikos Theotocopoulos) was a Greek artist, whose dramatic expressionist style only found true appreciation in the 20th century. He is regarded as a key influence in both Expressionism and Cubism and was undoubtedly hundreds of years ahead of his time. He is best known for his elongated tortured looking figures, managing to combine Byzantine traditions with Western academic art. His most notable works include Burial of the Count of Orgaz, 1585, The Disrobing of Christ, 1577-79 (Toledo Cathedral) and The opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse, c.1608 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

Born in Candia, Crete, which was at that time a part of the Republic of Venice. His father was a wealthy merchant and tax collector. Little is known of his early life, but it is believed he moved to Venice around 1567 to pursue an art career.

The Burial Of Count Orgaz, Detail (1623)

There is speculation that he apprenticed at Titian's studio, who by that time was already in his 80's but was still actively painting. In 1570 he moved to Rome and established his own workshop. During this time he absorbed some elements of the Mannerism movement but found the influence of Michelangelo and Raphael (who were dead) was still paramount. Although El Greco condemned Michelangelo as a 'good man, but he did not know how to paint', his influence can be seen in some of El Greco’s works including The Purification of the Temple. El Greco fought the artistic beliefs of his day and was determined to forge ahead with his own innovations. He found this easier to do, when he moved to Toledo in Spain in 1577, where the ghosts of Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian were quieter.

His first major commission was for a set of paintings for the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. These paintings established his reputation in the city.

Portrait Of A Cardinal (c.1600)

This was followed by 2 works for Philip of Spain, the Allegory of the Holy League and Martyrdom of St. Maurice. It is not clear why, but the King was not impressed with the paintings, and so ended all future royal commissions. In 1586 he painted the Burial of the Count of Orgaz, perhaps his best known work. Other works followed including 3 altars for the Chapel of San José in Toledo (1597–99), three paintings for the Colegio de Doña María de Aragon (1596–1600) and a painting of Saint Ildefonso the Hospital de la Caridad at Illescas (1603–05). In 1608, he received his last major commission for a work on Saint John the Baptist for the Hospital Tavera.

As El Greco's style of fine art painting matured he tended to place the dramatic over the descriptive. His figures were longer, paler and taller than they could ever be in real life. There was certain violence in his application of paint as he moved away from realism towards an early form of 20th century expressionism. A key characteristic of his work is the treatment of light, and many of his figures appear to be lit from within or reflect light from an unidentified source.

View Of Toledo

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Other important works include The Disrobing of Christ which is one of El Greco's most famous altarpieces, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1612-14 (Museo del Prado, Madrid), The Annunciation (Museo del Prado, Madrid), Christ on the Cross Adored by Donors, 1585-90 (Louvre, Paris), The Repentant Peter, c.1600 (The Phillips Collection, Washington DC), Portrait of a Cardinal, 1600 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), Saints John the Evangelist and Francis, 1600 (Uffizi Gallery, Florence) and Christ Carrying the Cross, 1600 (Prado Museum, Madrid).

While working on his commission for the Hospital Tavera, he became ill and died a month later in April 1614. He is buried at the Church of Santo Domingo el Antigua. It took several generations to pass before the true significance of El Greco's work was to be recognised. His skill as a painter was praised, but his anti-natural style was misunderstood and criticized as 'eccentric' and 'odd'. It was not until the 1900's that a first major re-appraisal of his status within the history of art took place and his originality was 'discovered'. His works inspired major artists including the likes of Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso. El Greco is now rated among the most outstanding Mannerist artists of the 16th and 17th centuries.

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