El Greco
1541 – 7 April 1614
El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) was a Greek painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, born in Venetian Crete and active chiefly in Toledo. His dramatically elongated figures and visionary use of color, as in The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, set him apart from his contemporaries and later made him a touchstone for modern artists. He signed his works in Greek throughout his life.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with El Greco.
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Life events
Doménikos Theotokópoulos was born in 1541 in Candia (modern Heraklion), then capital of the Venetian-ruled Kingdom of Candia.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEl Greco was trained in the post-Byzantine Cretan school and was documented as a master icon painter by 1563.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEl Greco relocated to Venice, where he absorbed the color and painterly technique of Titian and Tintoretto.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEl Greco settled in Rome, where the miniaturist Giulio Clovio recommended him to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and he opened his own workshop.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEl Greco moved to Toledo, where he received his first major Spanish commissions and remained for the rest of his life.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgOne of his first Toledo commissions, El Espolio for the cathedral sacristy, showcased his mature dramatic style and led to a protracted payment dispute.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHis son Jorge Manuel Theotokópoulos, later a painter and architect, was born in Toledo to Jerónima de las Cuevas, El Greco's lifelong companion.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFor the church of Santo Tomé in Toledo, El Greco painted his most celebrated masterpiece, uniting an earthly funeral with a heavenly vision.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgIn his final decades El Greco produced increasingly expressive works such as View of Toledo and the Opening of the Fifth Seal.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEl Greco died on 7 April 1614 and was buried in the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo.
Source: en.wikipedia.org