El Greco, "The Greek," worked in Spain but signed his paintings with his Greek name, Domenikos Theotokopoulos. His work shows the influence of the art of Crete, his birthplace; Crete was a center for the Byzantine artistic tradition, emphasizing abstraction and pattern rather than recording natural appearances. From 1568 to 1577, El Greco lived in Venice and Rome, where Titian's broad brushwork and bright colors, Tintoretto's sweeping movement, and Michelangelo's monumental figures reshaped his Byzantine-influenced style. He was acclaimed for his penetrating portraits, but he also received ecclesiastical commissions throughout Spain, including important altarpieces. His paintings of Toledo are among Europe's first pure landscapes.

Send Feedback

Greco, El

Biography

Notable Works

Artworks

Highlighted Works(4)

Saint Jerome as Scholar

View of Toledo

Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609)

Christ Carrying the Cross

All Artworks

Saint Andrew

Christus aan het kruis

The Vision of Saint John

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Portrait of an Old Man

Christ Healing the Blind

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Saint Martin and the Beggar

Laocoön

Saint Jerome

Saint Ildefonso

Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes

Saint Martin and the Beggar

The Holy Family with Saint Anne and the Infant John the Baptist

Christ Cleansing the Temple

Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation

Saint Martin and the Beggar

The Feast in the House of Simon

The adoration of the shepherds

Pietà