El Greco (DomenikosTheotokopoulos) 1541 - 1614

Born Domenikos Theotokopoulos in Candia, Crete, (now Heraklion), El Greco trained as a painter of ikons in the post-Byzantine style in his home town. In 1567 El Greco moved to Venice, of which Crete was a possession, following many of his fellow Cretan artists, and later to Rome, where he established a reputation as a painter with a highly individual style, not wholly acceptable to a city dominated by the traditions of the recently dead Michelangelo and Raphael.

In 1577 following disputes with his patron, Cardinal Farnese, El Greco moved to Toledo in Spain, where he acquired his distinctive nickname. El Greco failed in his ambition of lasting patronage from Phillip II, the King of Spain, then building and decorating the Escorial Palace outside Madrid, and remained for the rest of his life in Toledo, fulfilling architectural, sculptural and painting commissions for the powerful religious institutions of the city. El Greco’s workshop designed and built whole altar pieces for several important churches, although often disconcerting his patrons with the result.

In El Greco the painting traditions of the Byzantine Empire merged with those of the Renaissance schools of Italy. He achieved a highly distinctive style with elongated, tortured figures and an aggressive use of colour, sitting uneasily with contemporary taste and never achieving in his lifetime the monumental reputation he now enjoys.

While El Greco latterly claimed to be Catholic, perhaps for commercial reasons, it is thought that he continued to be Greek Orthodox throughout his life. In spite of his moves to Italy and Spain, El Greco cherished his origins and always signed his work in Greek script.

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