EL GRECO: THE KINGLESS PAINTER - Biography and Most Famous Paintings

Doménikos Theotokópoulos, known as El Greco (“the Greek”), was born on the Greek island of Crete in 1541. His artistic life developed in three important locations. The first of them was Crete, where he started out as a painter and master of iconography with a clear Byzantine influence, creating works such as St. Luke Painting the Virgin, Dormition of the Virgin and Adoration of the Magi. The second location was Italy. Considered a period of study and preparation, this was where he would be influenced by the Renaissance cannon. Thus, while in Venice, he would come to understand the importance of light and colour through the works of Titian and Tintoretto. From this period, we have the Modena Triptych, The Entombment of Christ and The Last Supper. During his stay in Rome, he would study the importance of drawing and human anatomy through the works of Rafael, Michelangelo and lived during this period in the palace of Cardinal Farnese, where