El Greco
Life
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Full name is Doménikos Theotokópoulos
Born in Crete, Italy in 1541
Moved around to study in different schools
Painted two paintings for King Phillip, but he
was not impressed
• Lived with Jerónima de Las Cuevas
• Had one son, named Jorge Manuel, and he
became a painter also
• Passed away on April 7, 1614
About his Art
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A painter, sculptor, and architect
Created church based art
Studied under Titian
Believed color was the most important aspect of painting
Had different interpretations of traditional religious themes
Was inspired by Michelangelo and Raphael
Introduced his own artistic views, ideas, and techniques
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is regarded as his
masterpiece
• From 1597 to 1607 he was very successful in his art
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
• Also called The
Entombment of the Count
of Orgaz
• Currently displayed in
Toledo, Spain at Santo
Tome Church
• Made with oil paints
• The Count of Orgaz
donated a large sum of
money to the church
• Painting was made in his
honor
Lady in a Fur Wrap
• Also called Lady with a Fur
Stole
• Displayed in Glasgow,
United Kingdom in the
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and
Museum
• Believe the painting is of his
partner Jerónima
• The brushstrokes in this
piece are much less harsh
than his other works
• There are more warm
colors in this piece
The Dormition of the Virgin
• Displayed in Ermoupolis,
Greece at the Holy
Cathedral of the Dormition
of the Virgin
• Italian influenced colors
• One of his earliest
surviving works
• Has a religious meaning,
as do most of his pieces
The Purification of the Temple
• Currently Displayed in
Minneapolis, Minnesota at
the Minneapolis Institute
of Arts
• Painted after a quote from
the bible
• Included Titian,
Michelangelo, Clovio, and
Rapheal- four great
painters
• Rich color palate
• Has a religious theme
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View of Toledo
• Created from 1596-1600
• Displayed in the
Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York City.
• Oil Painting
• One of the most dramatic
landscapes ever
• Shows a spiritual part of
the town
• The town inspired him in
other paintings also
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Sources
• The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
– http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grec/hd_grec.htm
• El Greco: Painting, Biography, Quotes
– http://www.elgreco.net/
• Web Museum
– http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/greco/
• Online Biography
– http://www.biography.com/people/el-greco-9319123
• The Collection: National Gallery of Art
– http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg29/gg29-main1.html
• Artble
– http://www.artble.com/artists/el_greco