El_Greco

El Greco was born Domenikos Theotokópoulos in Crete, 1541. ‘El Greco’ actually means ‘The Greek’, and is a direct reference to his heritage. There have been debates on his origin as many countries don’t want to associate with him; so Spain has claimed him. There have also been doubts on his religion as some sources claim he comes from a Roman Catholic background and education but there have been no records found. Around 1566, he went to Venice. In 1570, Domenikos travelled to Rome where he may have met Michelangelo. There his work showed hints of his Venetian background. In Italy he was known as El Greco, the name by which he is most commonly referred to. There is no record of how long he stayed in Italy but it is believed he returned to Venice before heading for Spain. El Greco moved to Spain in 1577. In Toledo El Greco was in constant demand and liked living large. He maintained a private orchestra to accompany his meals. No one knows what led the artist to move to Spain. El Greco's father, Geórgios Theotokópoulos, was a merchant and tax collector. Nothing is known about his mother or his first wife, a Greek woman. El Greco's older brother, Manoússos Theotokópoulos, was also a wealthy merchant and spent the last years of his life in El Greco's Toledo home. El Greco fell seriously ill in March of 1614 and a month later, on April 7, 1614, he died. A few days earlier, on March 31, he had directed that his son should have the power to make his will. One thing is very similar about all of El Greco’s paintings: his religious beliefs. His work depicts important events spoken of in the bible. His pieces are almost mystical in a sense and are as realistic as pictures. His style mostly includes lots of color, what he is known for, and extreme amounts of shading. Portrait of An Old Man Presumed self-portrait of El Greco. This piece is particulary dark with the usual crafty shading. Also, it was done on an oil canvas. The Dormition of the Virgin This piece was probably created near the end of the artist's Cretan period. The painting shows an Italian style and key elements. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz This is El Greco's best known work. As an usually large painting, it is divided into two sections: the heavenly above and the mortal land below. The Annunciation My favorite work of El Greco is shown above, “The Annunciation”. The piece appears to be a portrayal of Christian celebration. The painting is also known as “the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. The Virgin Mary is depicted to the left as an angel, Gabriel, visits her to tell her about her pregnancy of the son of God. Above in the painting, all of God’s angels that came with Gabriel are shown. This is my favorite since it is a religious memento but also the coloring is unique. Greco uses many shades with each color for each detail he uses. Gabriel’s wings are very realistic and the cloud he comes on looks very natural as well. It is also important to take note of the look on Mary’s face. She seems shocked however in awe that she was blessed enough to bear God’s child. Greco’s religious background plays a huge role in his artwork especially this piece that depicts a huge Christian historical event. Although his natural-born religion is unknown his artwork clearly shows his beliefs.