El Greco

1. El Greco By David Shelton

2. Location • El Greco was born approximately around 1541 in Crete, which then was apart of the Republic of Venice. • He soon moved to Toledo, Spain were he lived for the rest of his life and produce all of his best paintings!

3. Paintings • Moving on to Rome, El Greco opened a workshop and spent a great deal of time developing his style, using elements of both Mannerism and the Venetian Renaissance. • The artist gained acknowledgement for his highly expressive and visionary religious works and rarely ventured away from this genre. This is Renaissance art because it shows the landscape in motion. • (View of Toledo to the left)

4. Family • Nothing is known about his mother or his first wife, a Greek woman. El Greco's older brother, Manoussos Theotokopoulos (1531 - December 13, 1604), was a wealthy merchant and spent the last years of his life (1603-1604) in El Greco's Toledo home. • El Greco was descended from a prosperous urban family, which had probably been driven out of Chania to Candia after an uprising against the Venetians between 1526 and 1528.

5. El Greco’s Followers • It was not until after his death that El Greco's work was truly appreciated. Since the 18th century it has been valued by scholars and artists alike and has proved a great source of inspiration for many modern painters. • El Greco had over 50,000 followers!

6. Back Ground Information • Greco was born around 1541 in Crete, which was then part of the Republic of Venice. • Around age 35, he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life, producing his best-known paintings. • El Greco was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos on the island of Crete, which was at the time a Venetian possession. • El Greco died in April 7, 1614

7. Citations • http://www.biography.com/people/el-greco-9319123 • http://www.elgreco.net/ • http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grec/hd_grec.htm