Leo Martínez
El Greco, born in Crete in 1541, was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. His unique style, marked by elongated figures and unusual pigmentation, puzzled his contemporaries but has since influenced many modern painters. El Greco's paintings are scattered across the globe, with some housed in the United States. But how many of his works have made their way to American shores, and where can art enthusiasts view them?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of El Greco's works | 500 (disputed) |
| Number of El Greco's paintings at the time of his death | 115 |
| Number of El Greco's sketches at the time of his death | 15 |
| Number of El Greco's drawings at the time of his death | 150 |
| Number of El Greco's paintings in the collection of Roman scholar Fulvio Orsini | 7 |
| Number of altarpieces El Greco was commissioned to paint by Diego de Castilla | 3 |
| Number of El Greco's artworks | 188 |
| Number of El Greco's masterpieces | 3 |
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What You'll Learn
El Greco's influence on modern art
El Greco, born in 1541 in Crete, was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. His unique style, marked by elongated figures, bold brushwork, and a rejection of naturalism, puzzled his contemporaries but has intrigued modern artists.
El Greco's work has had a significant influence on modern art, particularly Expressionism. His paintings are characterised by their striking use of colour, innovative compositions, and rejection of naturalism, which have inspired modern artists seeking to break free from traditional artistic conventions. El Greco's bold experimentation with form and colour, along with his distinctive style, have earned him recognition as a modern artist in the 16th century.
El Greco's influence can be seen in the works of artists such as Manet, Cézanne, Picasso, and Pollock. Picasso, for instance, was influenced by El Greco's "Vision of Saint John", which is said to have inspired his "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon". Picasso's admiration for El Greco is well-known, and he once proclaimed that he preferred El Greco to Velázquez.
El Greco's work also influenced the French writer Théophile Gautier, who regarded him as the precursor of the European Romantic movement. Gautier saw El Greco as the ideal romantic hero—the "gifted", the "misunderstood", and the "mad". French art critics Zacharie Astruc and Paul Lefort further promoted a revival of interest in El Greco's work.
Additionally, El Greco's impact can be observed in the Blue Rider school, whose members, such as Franz Marc, admired his art as a rejection of the materialist culture of modern life. El Greco's work also laid the foundations for abstraction, influencing artists like Jackson Pollock.
In conclusion, El Greco's distinctive style and modern sensibilities have had a profound and lasting impact on the art world, influencing artists from the Romantic period to the present day, and solidifying his place as one of the great masters of art history.
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El Greco's time in Venice
El Greco, born Doménikos Theotokópoulos, was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He was born in the Kingdom of Candia (modern Crete), which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, Italy. He trained and became a master within the Cretan school of the Post-Byzantine art tradition before travelling at the age of 26 to Venice in 1567, never to return to his birthplace.
El Greco's three years in Venice profoundly influenced his style. He encountered the work of Tintoretto, known as Il Furioso for his fast, bold brushwork. According to a letter written by his friend, the miniaturist Giulio Clovio, El Greco was a "disciple" of Titian, who was by then in his eighties but still vigorous. This may mean he worked in Titian's large studio. El Greco substantially altered his style and sought to distinguish himself by inventing new and unusual interpretations of traditional religious subject matter.
In 1570, El Greco moved to Rome, where he executed a series of works strongly marked by his Venetian apprenticeship. It is unknown how long he remained in Rome, though he may have returned to Venice between 1575 and 1576 before he left for Spain in 1577. In Rome, on the recommendation of Giulio Clovio, El Greco was received as a guest at the Palazzo Farnese, which Cardinal Alessandro Farnese had made a centre of the artistic and intellectual life of the city. There he came into contact with the intellectual elite of the city, including the Roman scholar Fulvio Orsini, whose collection would later include seven paintings by the artist.
El Greco synthesised the styles of the Byzantine, Venetian, and Roman schools to produce paintings so ahead of their time, they wouldn’t be fully appreciated for 300 years. His surviving works include four drawings, three of which are preparatory works for the altarpiece of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, and the fourth a study for one of his paintings, The Crucifixion. Nowadays, the number of El Greco's works is estimated at about 500, though there are disputes over the exact number of authentic works.
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El Greco's time in Rome
El Greco, born Doménikos Theotokópoulos in 1541 in Crete, travelled to Venice in 1567 at the age of 26. He stayed in Venice for three years, before moving to Rome in 1570.
In Rome, El Greco opened a workshop and executed a series of works that reflected his Venetian apprenticeship. He resided at the Palazzo Farnese, which Cardinal Alessandro Farnese had made a centre of the city's artistic and intellectual life. There, he met the intellectual elite of the city, including the Roman scholar Fulvio Orsini, whose collection later included seven paintings by the artist. El Greco also met important Spanish churchmen in Rome through Orsini, including Luis de Castilla, who became El Greco's intimate friend and was eventually named one of the two executors of his last testament.
El Greco's works during his time in Italy were influenced by the Venetian Renaissance style of the period, with agile, elongated figures reminiscent of Tintoretto and a chromatic framework that connects him to Titian. El Greco also incorporated elements of Mannerism into his works, such as violent perspective vanishing points and strange attitudes struck by the figures with their repeated twisting and turning and tempestuous gestures.
El Greco's unconventional artistic beliefs and personality soon acquired him enemies in Rome. Architect and writer Pirro Ligorio called him a "foolish foreigner", and archival material reveals a skirmish with Farnese, who obliged the artist to leave his palace. Unable to obtain major public commissions in Rome, El Greco signed a contract in 1576 for altarpieces for the important church of Santa Domingo el Antiguo. It is unknown how long he remained in Rome, but he may have returned to Venice around 1575-76 before migrating to Madrid and then to Toledo, Spain, in 1577.
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El Greco's time in Toledo
El Greco, born Doménikos Theotokópoulos, was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He was born in 1541 in the village of Fodele or Candia, Crete. In 1567, at the age of 26, El Greco left for Venice, where he stayed for three years and was profoundly influenced by the Venetian school of painting. He then moved to Rome in 1570, where he stayed for an unknown duration before emigrating to Toledo, Spain, in 1577. He lived and worked in Toledo until the end of his life in 1614.
El Greco's most famous works from his time in Toledo include his largest painting, a 15-by-11-foot masterpiece for the church of Santo Tomé, which relays a miracle said to have occurred at the funeral of Count Orgaz in 1323. Another notable work from this period is "View of Toledo", one of two surviving landscapes painted by El Greco, held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This painting is regarded as El Greco's greatest landscape and is among the best-known depictions of the sky in Western art.
El Greco's work during his time in Toledo was shaped by the religious and political context of Counter-Reformation Spain. He depended on the patronage of the Catholic Church, as he failed to find favour with the king. His paintings often reflected the mysticism of the Catholic Church, such as in his "View of Toledo", which some art historians interpret as a reflection of the inner conflict of each human being. El Greco's unique style and subject matter puzzled some of his contemporaries but had a significant impact on modern painters, including Picasso.
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El Greco's artistic style
El Greco, born Doménikos Theotokópoulos in 1541 in Crete, was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He trained as an icon painter of the Cretan school, a leading centre of post-Byzantine art. At the age of 26, he left for Venice, where he encountered the work of Tintoretto and Titian, and was influenced by the Venetian Renaissance style of the period. He then moved to Rome, where he opened a workshop and was received as a guest at the Palazzo Farnese, a centre of artistic and intellectual life in the city. Here, he came into contact with the intellectual elite, including the Roman scholar Fulvio Orsini, whose collection would later include seven paintings by El Greco.
El Greco's work is characterised by his individualistic expressive style, which puzzled his contemporaries but has been fully appreciated since the 20th century. He is known for his tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic pigmentation, marrying Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting. Art critic Jonathan Jones states that El Greco was "drawn to complexity, to obscurity, to sophistication," and that he "spoke a messianic language of religious renewal". El Greco himself is quoted as saying that an artist "must study the Masters but guard the original style that beats within your soul," emphasising the importance of establishing and being true to one's own style.
El Greco's work is also notable for its dramatic use of contrast and light, which enhances the emotional and psychological depths of his subjects. This is particularly evident in his religious paintings, for which he is mostly known, such as his altarpiece of Santo Domingo el Antiguo and The Crucifixion. His expressive style has been described as a precursor to Expressionism, with his use of violent perspective vanishing points and strange attitudes struck by the figures with their repeated twisting and turning.
El Greco's work can be divided into three main periods, reflecting his time in Crete, Venice, and Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death. His paintings produced in Toledo, such as View of Toledo and Opening of the Fifth Seal, are considered to be among his best-known works.
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Frequently asked questions
El Greco created approximately 500 paintings, 150 drawings, and 15 sketches.
El Greco's paintings are spread across the world, with some in the US. One of his most notable paintings in the US is "Agony in the Garden", which is in Toledo, Ohio.
El Greco's famous paintings include "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz", "View of Toledo", and "The Assumption of the Virgin".
El Greco's paintings are exhibited in various locations, including the Galleria Estense at Modena, the Frick Collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Phillips Collection.
