🙂 Greetings, my dear readers! The article “El Greco: Works, Biography” – about the life of a Spanish painter, sculptor, architect.
El Greco: biography
Domenico Teotokopouli was born in 1541 on about. Crete. For a long time he lived in Spain, where he began to introduce himself as El Greco. But the signature on his works is written in Greek, indicating the real name.
Until the age of 25, practically nothing is known about his biography. The father is a tax collector, he could give his son a good education. El Greco later became friends with renowned scientists. In his home library there were more than 130 manuscripts in various fields of science in five languages. A fact that can say a lot.
In the archives of 1566, documents were found where he was called “master Domenico Teotokopouli”. The works of that period have survived, where his works are in the traditions of the Byzantine icons. Although this, of course, looks rather strange, because the master’s family attended the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1568 the master moved to Venice for a couple of years. Several archival documents indicate that he studied with the great Titian.
El Greco spent 5-6 years in Rome. He met the painter G. Clovio, at whose request Cardinal Farnese settled him in his palace.
In 1572 the artist was accepted as a member of the guild of St. Luke and periodically visited Venice. There he met prominent religious figures. An employee of Cardinal Orsini, bought seven large paintings from the master. But no more lucrative orders were received. This was the main reason for leaving for Toledo.
Toledo
Things got better here quickly. In 1577 he completed The Assumption of the Virgin. Then he proceeded to create the image “Taking off the clothes from Christ”. This canvas, presented to the audience in 1579, became popular. For a long time, the master wrote copies of it, which were quickly sold out.
“Taking off the clothes from Christ.” 1577-1579. Toledo Cathedral, Toledo, Spain
In Toledo, the master married Jerome de las Cuevas. The marriage was not registered at the mayor’s office. For this reason, all sorts of guesses and incredible rumors circulated in the city.
Some said that the foreigner did not receive the documents necessary for the marriage. Others whispered that he was married, but left the family to their fate. However, the master’s personal life remains a secret.
The name of the painter is found in many archives about his contracts for the execution of orders. But in the archives it was not possible to find a single letter from the master himself.
“View of Toledo before the thunderstorm” 1610-1614. Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
El Greco was an intelligent man, but he often prided himself on creating magnificent works of art. Sometimes it sounded like arrogance.
Creativity El Greco
Since 1585, the master, in order to maintain the usual standard of living, rented one wing of the palace from the Marquis de Villena. He named buyers a huge amount at which he evaluated his works. Several times this ended in lawsuits between the master and the customers.
There were other troubles as well. The ministers of the church have repeatedly expressed complaints about the master’s paintings. They insisted that the works commissioned by the church conform to the traditional orthodox principles of images.
But the fame of the master grew every day. He continued to receive large orders from wealthy clients. At this time, Toledo was known far beyond the borders of Spain. There were few good painters here.
The artist tried to attract the attention of not only townspeople, but also seniors from all over Spain. He especially dreamed of drawing attention to his creations of the powerful Philip II, who was reputed to be a connoisseur of painting.
The king was looking for masters to paint the interiors of the palace, which was erected near Madrid. The foundation was laid in 1563. The master’s arrival was connected with his desire to take part in the design of the interiors. Many craftsmen arrived here, incl. and the great Titian.
But the dreams didn’t come true. El Greco completed the grandiose painting “The Martyrdom of St. Mauritius “. But the king did not like the creation of the master, and he gave the order to Chinchinnato. According to an eyewitness to these events, the painting did not arouse “religious awe” in the king.
“The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice”. 1580-1582, Monastery de El Escorial, Madrid
El Greco “removed” the main scene of the plot deep into the canvas. In the foreground, St. Mauritius with friends as they unanimously decide to lay down their lives for the true faith. It turned out that the artist sacrificed the traditional interpretation of the plot to his own style.
“Penitent Magdalene” 1594, National Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
last years of life
El Greco returned to Toledo for good. He actively worked in 1597 – 1607, when the mass reconstruction of churches began. And this opened up a huge field of activity for him. The fame of the master crossed the borders of Spain and he began to receive orders from neighboring European countries.
In 1603 he accepted an order to create an altarpiece for a hospital in the vicinity of Toledo. Payment proceedings followed again, but the master lost.
At the end of his life, a black streak came for the painter. There were health problems, financial problems tormented. He was besieged by numerous creditors, he could not pay rent.
El Greco died in 1614 and was buried in the Santo Domingo temple. But the church squabbles continued. The son was forced to transport his father’s ashes to the monastery of San Torquato. This monastery was destroyed in the XNUMXth century. The artist’s grave has not been found, but the memory of this greatest painter has survived for centuries.
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El Greco: the works and the life of the artist
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