El Grecoc. 1541 -- 1614

Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco)

• Born in Crete in 1541• Spanish painter• El Greco means “the Greek”• In Venice, he learned about the Venetian use of color by

working in the workshop of the painter Titan.• He did religious paintings as well as landscapes• Determined to break away from the traditions of classical art

• A well known painting made in Italy.

• Many artists adapted a style now called “Mannerism”

Christ Cleansing the Temple

DRAMATIC EXPRESSION

• For the cathedral of Toledo, El Greco painted the Espolio, in which Christ’s robes are about to be stripped from him.

Espolio

• A devout Catholic, he tried to use his art as a part of his own worship and as a means to help others worship

• The human forms he painted were elongated.

Saint Martin and the Beggar

View of Toledo

• What dramatic elements do you see?

IN THE END

• Remained popular through his lifetime.• Died in 1614.• “Was the first European painter to reject the main

premises of the classical tradition.”• El Greco was determined to make his own decisions.