Transcript El Greco
El Greco
(Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
“He worked not for worldy applause but worked for a greater
century to come. Crete gave him life and a painter’s brush but
{in} Toledo he achieved eternal life.”
His Life
In 1541, he was born on the isle of
Crete.
In his 20’s, he went to Venice where
he studied under Titan and
Tintoretto.
He later went to Rome where Clovio,
a renowned Italian Renaissance
painter, became his mentor and
guide.
His Life—Con’t.
There he painted The Last Judgement
and was asked to change it so that it fit
the ideas of the church. He refused as
he would not conform to common
artistic styles and ideas.
After this in 1577, he was forced to
leave Rome for Spain with his partner,
Jeronima de las Cuevas.
His Life—Con’t.
In 1578, his son, Jorge Emanuel was
born.
He petitioned to become a painter for
King Phillip II two times. The first was
with a painting called Allegory of the
Holy League and the second was with
The Martyrdom of St. Maurice. The king
did not approve of his work either time.
His Life—Con’t.
He decided to live in Toledo where he
was greatly admired by friends and
colleagues which assured his
livelihood, wealth and fame.
In April of 1614, he died at the age
of 73.
His Style
There are 3 main influences on my
art:
1. Byzantine Influence, the foundation of
his work
Spiritual icons, elongated bodies, slender
limbs He was influential in creating a style based on impressions and emotion,
featuring elongated fingers and vibrant color and brushwork.
Lack of perspective, proportion, and
rational space
Concerned with traditional spiritual values,
& not concerned with the imitation of
reality
Byzantine art is almost entirely concerned with
religious expression and, more specifically, with the
impersonal translation of carefully controlled church
theology into artistic terms. Its forms of
architecture and painting grew out of these
concerns and remained uniform and anonymous,
perfected within a rigid tradition rather than varied
according to personal whim; the result was a
sophistication of style and a spirituality of
expression rarely paralleled in Western art.
His Style-Con’t.
There are 3 main influences on his
art:
2. Italian Renaissance Influence
• richness of color, & strong contrasts
between light and dark
• Attention to realistic detail
• Detailed architectural backgrounds
His Style-Con’t.
There are 3 main influences on his art:
1. Spanish religious matter and mysticism
• His style is a combination of these with a mix of
realism and the supernatural, detailed bodies and
faces, separation of heaven and earth, strong
religious themes, and brilliant color
• His style is so individual that he does not belong to
any conventional school of art.
“Engaging oneself to go beyond the limits of one’s own
art is the highest aim of all.” (El Greco)
El Greco
Martyrdom of St. Maurice 1580
1. Painted for the summer palace, El
Escorial, of King Phillip II
2. It tells the story of Maurice, a
legendary warrior and
commander of the Theban Legion.
3. He and his soldiers refused to
participate in certain pagan rites.
4. The Emperor (Maximian
Herculeus) punished them with
execution.
5. The Escorial was the center for
the crusade for the Faith so this
was an appropriate subject for
the palace.
6. It expresses the conviction of
faith that inspired the crusade.
7. It was not accepted by the king.
El Greco
Burial of Count Orgaz 1586
1. Painted for the church of Santo
Tomé
2. It tells the story of Don Gonzalo
Ruíz, a native of Toledo, and Count
of the town of Orgaz.
3. He was a generous man who, among
other charitable acts, left a sum of
money for the enlargement and
adornment of the church of Santo
Tomé.
4. According to legend, at the time he
was buried, Saint Stephen & Saint
Augustine personally came down
from heaven and buried him with
their own hands.
5. There is a clear distinction between
heaven (swirling icy clouds) and
earth (normal proportions).
El Greco
Burial of Count Orgaz 1586—Con’t.
6. Saints are tall and phantom-like,
dressed in golden & red garments and
the count is dressed in golden armor
that reflects the colors of the saints.
7. The men attending the funeral are
prominent members of Toledan
society and create the bridge
separating the heaven and earth.
8. The boy to the left is pointing out the
scene and is El Greco’s son, Jorge.
9. In Jorge’s pocket is a handkerchief
with El Greco’s signature and the year
1578 (Jorge’s birth year)
El Greco
View of Toledo 1597-1599
1. It was rare to find simple
landscape paintings at that
time so this makes him the
first landscape painter in
Spanish art.
2. The sky is dark, sinister, and
foreboding.
3. The buildings are moved
around to suit him.
4. There is a sharp contrast
between the sky and the earth
below.
El Greco
Adoration of Shepards 1614
1. Shows the influence of Spanish
mysticism along with strong Italian
colors and use of light.
2. Full of strange shapes and poses
(Byzantine influence)
3. Gives a feeling of exaltation and a
feeling of wonder.
4. Mary’s face shows peace and
tranquility as the light shines from the
infant’s body.
El Greco
Laocoon 1610-1614
1. Tells the story of Poseidon’s priest
of Troy who attempted to warn the
city of the Trojan Horse that was full
of Greeks.
2. The gods sent sea serpents to
devour Laocoon and his 2 sons as
punishment.
3. This acts out the legendary doom of
Troy, yet El Greco puts the scene in
front of Toledo