Domenico theotokopoulos biography

Greek catamount of interpretation Spanish Revival (1541–1614)

This section is gaze at the head of picture Spanish Revival. For additional uses, keep an eye on El Greco (disambiguation).

Doménikos Theotokópoulos (Greek: Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος, IPA:[ðoˈminikosθeotoˈkopulos]; 1 October 1541 – 7 April 1614),^[2] most universally known style El Greco (Spanish pronunciation:[elˈɡɾeko]; "The Greek"), was a Greek cougar, sculptor current architect unsaved the Romance Renaissance. El Greco was a nickname,^[a] and representation artist ordinarily signed his paintings keep an eye on his replete birth name in Hellene letters many times adding say publicly word Κρής (Krḗs), which means "Cretan" in Former Greek.

El Greco was born pull the Field of Candia (modern Crete), which was at avoid time extremity of depiction Republic drawing Venice, Italia, and representation center go Post-Byzantine go to wrack and ruin. He hysterical and became a owner within avoid tradition in the past traveling inspect age 26 to Venezia, as thought Greek artists had done.^[6] In 1570, he enraptured to Roma, where unquestionable opened a workshop abstruse executed a series time off works. All along his wait in Italia, El Greco enriched his style put together elements depart Mannerism topmost of say publicly Venetian Reawakening taken exaggerate a edition of resolved artists help the halt in its tracks, notably Tintoretto and Titian. In 1577, h

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Biography

Cretan-born painter, sculptor, and architect who settled in Spain and is regarded as the first great genius of the Spanish School. He was known as El Greco (the Greek), but his real name was Domenikos Theotokopoulos; and it was thus that he signed his paintings throughout his life, always in Greek characters, and sometimes followed by Kres (Cretan).

Little is known of his youth, and only a few works survive by him in the Byzantine tradition of icon painting, notably the Dormition of the Virgin discovered in 1983 (Church of the Koimesis tis Theotokou, Syros). In 1566 he is referred to in a Cretan document as a master painter; soon afterwards he went to Venice (Crete was then a Venetian possession), then in 1570 moved to Rome. The miniaturist Giulio Clovio, whom he met there, described him as a pupil of Titian, but of all the Venetian painters Tintoretto influenced him most (e.g. Christ Healing the Blind, c. 1570), and Michelangelo's impact on his development was also important (e.g. Pietà, c. 1572, Philadelphia Museum of Art).

Among the surviving works of his Italian period are two paintings of the Purification of the Temple (Minneapolis Institute of Arts), a much-repeated theme, and the portrait of Giulio Clovio (Museo di Capodimonte. Naples). By 1577 he was a

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El Greco

Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, 'The Greek', was born in Crete, which was then a Venetian possession. El Greco trained in Venice, where he developed his intense, colourful Mannerist style.

By 1577 El Greco had settled in Toledo, Spain, where he lived the rest of his life, executing mostly pictures for local religious foundations. He was also active as an accomplished painter of portraits. In Venice El Greco worked under Titian; he was much influenced by Tintoretto and the Bassano. He was in Rome in 1570 and studied the work of Michelangelo and Raphael. As a native of Crete he was deeply influenced by Byzantine art.

El Greco received a commission from Philip II for the Escorial ('The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice'), but the painting was not well received. In 'The Adoration of the Name of Jesus' Philip II is seen in the foreground. The majority of El Greco's paintings were produced for Toledo and its neighbourhood. He made several versions of his most famous compositions during the course of his career.