El Greco
1541–1614 · Renaissance & Mannerism
Biography
El Greco (1541–1614), born Doménikos Theotokópoulos on Crete, trained as an icon painter, worked in Venice and Rome, then settled in Toledo. His elongated figures and unearthly colours were rediscovered by modern artists in the 20th century.
From the artist’s life
El Greco spent the first 26 years of his life in Crete, then lived for nine years in Italy, in Venice (1567–70) and Rome (1570–76). After his stay in Italy he moved to central Spain in 1577 (El Greco’s house in Toledo, pictured), having received an important commission from the city of Toledo, which boasted a rich cultural and ecclesiastical life. His commission was to paint the high altarpiece of the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, with the huge picture of The Assumption of the Virgin (1577–79), which became one of the artist’s most important works.
From the page of View of Toledo
