Art · 1541–1614
Born: 1 October 1541 · Died: 7 April 1614 · Age at death: 72
El Greco died aged 72. He was born on 1 October 1541 and died on 7 April 1614.
Cretan-born painter who settled in Toledo and painted elongated, visionary works such as The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
Did you know?His distinctive style was so unusual for his time that his work was largely ignored until being rediscovered in the 20th century.
El Greco painted visions that still look startlingly modern. Born Doménikos Theotokópoulos on Crete, then ruled by Venice, he first trained as a painter of religious icons. In Venice and Rome he absorbed the rich colour of Titian and the drama of Michelangelo. Around 1577 he settled in Toledo, Spain, where he spent the rest of his life. His figures are long and flame-like, his skies stormy and his colours intense. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is his masterpiece. Centuries later, modern artists rediscovered him.
Doménikos Theotokópoulos (Greek: Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος, pronounced; 1 October 1541 – 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (Spanish pronunciation:; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time.
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Profile
Greek-Spanish painter, 1541–1614
Doménikos Theotokópoulos was born in Crete in 1541.
He studied in Venice and Rome.
He settled in Toledo in 1577.
He painted The Burial of the Count of Orgaz in 1586.
Career highlights
Did you know?He signed his paintings in Greek letters.
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