Other names

Biography

Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, is one of the most prominent painters of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in Candia (Crete) and trained in the Byzantine painting tradition. He later moved to Italy, where he worked in Rome and Venice, interacting with the most notable artists of the time—he learned the use of colour from Titian. Around 1576, he was working for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and his circle. However, a few years later (1572), he was dismissed from his position and decided to open his own workshop, where he would create paintings for private clients. His success appears to have been limited, as in 1577 he moved to Spain to work at the Monastery of El Escorial, likely with the intent of serving King Philip II (1527-1598). El Greco developed a unique and unmistakable style that combined Byzantine and Italian influences, characterised by dramatic expressiveness, the use of vibrant colours, and elongated, stylised figures. His work was initially well-received, and he secured commissions for the altar of the Convent of Santo Domingo el Antiguo and The Disrobing of Christ for the Toledo Cathedral—there are replicas of the latter dispersed and attributed to his workshop (Ruiz Gómez, 2007). In 1584, he painted The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice and the Theban Legion at the request of the king; however, the work apparently did not please the monarch, as it was not placed in its intended location, and Philip II commissioned Romulo Cincinnato to paint a work on the same theme (Storm, 2014). Following this, El Greco ceased working for the king but continued to receive commissions from other institutions—mainly in Toledo—such as The Burial of the Count of Orgaz for the Church of Santo Tomé in Toledo (Martínez-Burgos, 2006). Numerous works attributed to El Greco are present in various institutions and museums. Notable examples include Saint Matthew(Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana), The Nobleman with His Hand on His Chest(Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid), and Pietà (Hispanic Society of America, New York).

Bibliography

• ÁLVAREZ LOPERA, José (1987): De Ceán a Cossío: la fortuna crítica del Greco en el siglo XIX, Fundación Universitaria Española, Madrid.
• ÁLVAREZ LOPERA, José (1999): El Greco. Identidad y transformacion, Museo Thyssen Bornemisza, Madrid.
• BRASAS EGIDO, Juan Carlos (1993): "Crónica de una pérdida irreparable del patrimonio artístico vallisoletano. La venta de dos cuadros del Greco que pertenecieron a la Catedral y la intervención de la Real Academia de la Purísima Concepción", nº 28, en Boletín de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de la Purísima Concepción.
• BROWN, Jonathan (2001): El Greco. Themes and Variations, Nueva York.
• COSSÍO, Manuel (1920): El Greco: cuarenta y ocho ilustraciones con texto, Patronato Nacional de Turismo, Madrid.
• COSSÍO, Manuel Bartolomé (1908): El Greco, Madrid.
• LAVÍN BERDONCES, Ana Carmen, REDONDO CUESTA, José y ALONSO ALONSO, Rafael (2010): El Greco: Domenikos Theotokopoulos 1900, BAI.
• MARTÍNEZ-BURGOS, Palma (2006): El Greco. El pintor humanista. Obra completa, LIBSA, Madrid.
• RUIZ GÓMEZ, Leticia (2003): El Greco en el Museo Nacional del Prado: catálogo razonado, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
• STORM, Eric (2016): El descubrimiento del Greco. Nacionalismo y arte moderno (1860-1914), Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica, Madrid.
• WETHEY, Harold E. (1967): El Greco y su escuela, Guadarrama, Madrid.