El Greco

El Greco was born 1541 and died 1614 in Toledo at age 73. He was
named at birth Domeniko’s TheotoKopoulos. He was Born in Candia, the capital
of the island of Crete, off the coast of Greece.

Nothing is certain is known of the first twenty five years of El Greco’s life,
except that he lived on Crete and became a painter. It is thought from later
events in his life that El Greco recieved a sound education in letters. He came
from a family of middle or upper classes, which could afford to send their children
to school.

He studied under a master named Titian and Tentonetto. He was not self
taught. June 6, 1566 is the first record of El Greco’s existence as a painter. On
this day Maistro Menegos Theotokopoulos signed a sale in a lottery (sale) for one
of his pictures. After this point the next record of El Greco was August 18, 1568 in
Venice. He had gone to venice to develop his talent as a painter and learn about
Italian art. He later left Italy or Spain to earn a better sale on paintings.

El Greco had a Venetian apprentice ship and trained him well in divining
the personalities of his models and had given him a serious approach to his
subjects.

He was not the madman nor the excessive original that people have
thought him to be. He was an enthusiastic colorist. He was fond of unusual
tones. He sacrificed everything in his search for effects. Despite his mistakes, El
Greco canonly be considered as a great painter. He had an unusual style as the
work of a genius.

After his arrival in Toledo (July 1577) he formed a relationship with a
woman named Jeronima de las Cueuns. He lived with her there after and never
married. They had a son named Jorge manuel in 1578. Jorge was trained as a
painter and architect and became his father’s partner beginning around 1500.

Little is known about El Greco. He made a good income as a painter but
was a poor manage of his finances. He was often in debt. He lived in a large
palace in Toledo owned by the Marquios of Villena.

He did not associate with other artists, but with scholars, poets and priests.

He worked on treatises concerning the arts of painting.

El Greco was known for his quick wit and intelligence, his pride and
arrogance. This even led to arguments with customers about the price of his
works. He created wonderful masterpieces of painting in a style that deserves to
be called original and unconventional.

Some thought his paintings were a non realstic stlye and distorted and that
the figures in them were gaunt and haggard. Some felt he painted modern art, to
the spaniards he was a cultural hero and painted their own national religions
spirit. He will always be known as an old master who spoke in modern work. His
works distorted the tones of painting, the human body, and landscape to make all
see what point he was making about a person or a scene he was painting.

El Greco is one of the greatest portraitists in the history of painting.