Biography
For Spanish, the surname of Teotokopoulos was too complicated, so after moving to Toledo, the artist began to call himself Domenico Greco, or just El Greco. The pseudonym reflected the origin - he was born in Crete, and Spain became the second homeland for him.
Here at the end of the 16th day of the 17th century, the painter created the world famous canvas, including the "burial of the organization of the Organ" and "Fifth Printing", which are considered examples of manherism. Stressful composition, contrast of paints and multiplicity of light sources - all in the works of El Greco worked for the achievement and expression of the highest dramaticness. His legacy influenced artists, including Pablo Picasso, Cezan Fields, Edward Mana.
Childhood and youth
A Greek family in which in 1541 the future Creator of Spanish Mysitian in painting was born, did not need anything. The head of the family earned not only trade, but also tax collecting. The sons of Domenico and Manussos received excellent education by the standards of that era. There are evidence that they taught the ancient Greek and Latin.
When Domenico was 15 years old, his father died. Caring for the family lay on the shoulders of the older brother, artist Manussos. Subsequently, he devoted all his life to trade. Domenico chose the path of art. In Candy, the guild of painters acted. A young man joined the community.
Painting
Cretan painting of the 16th century is, first of all, the school icon painting. The uniqueness of the creativity of the local authors was to combine the severity of the shape of the Byzantine style with Italian motifs. Orders were received from both the Catholic communities and Orthodox.
Domenico Teotokopoulos received the title of Master no later than 22 years. This gave the opportunity to open his own workshop, and the artist, believes art historians, she took advantage. The key operation of the first period of the creative biography of El Greco is considered "the Assumption of the Virgin". Along with the "martyrdom of Holy Paraskeva", Mikhail Damascus work is considered as a bright sample of the heritage of the Cretan school icon painting.
At 26, the painter leaves his homeland. In 1967, Teotokopoulos settled in Venice, and three years later she moved to Rome. Part of the researchers believe that in the city on the water, the novice artist worked under Titian. One of the titans of Renaissance by that time was more than 80 years old, but he wouldingly accepted students in the workshop.
The Roman period of creativity El Greco is still noted by the influence of the Renaissance. The outgoing style is traced in brightly lit multifiguric compositions, saturation of paints, elongation of silhouettes. But the characters are increasingly frozen under his brush in tense poses at the time of desperate gesticulation. The dramatic of mannerism is found in the "secret evening", and in the "Annunciation", and in the "exile of merchants from the temple."
An innovation of the Cretan artist attracts the attention of the Roman elite. He is invited to the receptions of Cardinal Alessandro Farnes, where a young painter meets scientists, philosophers, artists. But soon the guest loses the location: Domenico is too trooped to the authorities of the previous period. Let Renaissance leaves the stage, but the memory of the reaction representatives is still alive.
"He was a good person, but did not know how to draw at all," the Greek artist notes, saying, for example, about Michelangelo.He even grabs the courage to offer Pope to redraw the fresco "Scary Court" in the Sistine Chapel in accordance with the tougher religious ideas of the era.
"Stupid Ino Semechan," the architect Pierre Ligorio responds about El Greco.Even Cardinal quarrels with the artist. Despite the discrepancy with the Roman public, in 1972 the TEOTOKOPOOLOS opens the workshop in the "Eternal City", but it fails to get large orders, and Domenico leaves Italy.
Spain attracted the painter of the prospect of work: the monarch of this state Philip II was interested in the decoration of the inner premises of the new palace, the selection of masters was. Being in Madrid and seeing the goal of the conquest of authority from the king, El Greco met the theologian Benito Montano and a number of Tedalsky Cathedral close to the abbot. As a result, instead of the royal order, the first Spanish contract the painter signed with representatives of the Church.
On request, 10 paintings were created, the most famous of which is the "console problem with Christ." A compressed foreground, emphasizing the pressure of the crowd on Christ, the climax, when the protifer supporter is preparing to disrupt the chiton from him, and, of course, the intensity of the red is saturated with the work of the dramatic power characteristic of manherism.
Interesting fact: for the canvas, which now considers the masterpiece of world art, the church refused to pay the declared 950 ducats. Through the court, the author achieved the amount three times less - 350 ducats. Claims Claims were reduced to the fact that El Greek placed himselfly on the forefront of Three Mari, Koi was not mentioned in the canonical version of the events. In addition, the churchmen outraged the location of the testers above the head of Christ. Nevertheless, the order for the Tolel Cathedral glorified El Greco in Spain.
And yet, in the promotion of Philip II, it did not help. The painter performed two orders for the monarch, but the work of the king was not impressed, and the collaboration was barely launched with El Greek interrupted. The 44-year-old author decided to take advantage of the fame conquered in Toledo and opened a workshop here in 1585. A Roman Assistant Teotokopoulos Francisco Premble moved to Spain.
Soon the painter creates a mystical fabric - a picture of the burial of the complex of the organ. It uses the plot of the religious legend about the rich resident of Toledo, who financed the church. The "burial" depicts two saints that have come down from heaven to handituate the benefactor. The canvas was created for the Tolesk Church of San Tome.
Between 1587 and 1592, the painter wrote a picture-based painting "Apostles Peter and Paul" based on the contrast of images. Today it is stored in the Hermitage. The author is not alien and the genre of the landscape, although such cloths in the heritage of El Greco three. The most famous "Toledo View", depicting an illuminated city illuminated by the inner light, spread under the gloomy, thunderstorm sky. The picture became one of the first landscapes in European painting.
Shortly before the death, the master created a canvas "Withdrawal of the Fifth Printing", which was supposed to supplement the inner decoration of the Toledo Church of John the Baptist. The picture is partially lost: at the turn of 19-20 centuries, the restorers cut off the upper part. It is believed that in this form, the work served as a source of inspiration for Picasso when writing "Avignon maidens."
El Greek is also known as a portraitist who can pass the character in the features of the appearance. In Toledo he was engaged in sculpture, created Altari for Chapel San Jose. The importance of creativity is associated with the formation of mannerism, which served as the basis of Baroque, and the deliberate dramatic of the paintings allowed us to talk about El Greek as a forerunner of cubism and expressionism.
Personal life
From 36 years, he lived in actual marriage with Spaniard Heronim De Las Cuevas. In 1578, they had a son who called Jorge Manuel.
Researchers suggest that Domenico was married before: he concluded marriage or in Crete, or in Italy. And it did not allow him to register an alliance with Heronim. At the same time, El Greco mentioned the actual wife in official papers, including the will, and recognized the Son.
Death El Greco
In 1614, the artist worked on the order for Toledo Hospital, but the work remained unfinished. The painter fell ill, and the state has deteriorated day by day.
Understanding that I will not recover, El Greek managed to draw up a will. The artist died on April 7th. He was buried at the monastery, which was subsequently destroyed. The remains of the artist are lost.
Work
- 1560-1565 - "Modensky Triptych"
- 1567 - "The Assumption of the Virgin"
- 1570 - "Last Supper"
- 1570 - "Worship of Magi"
- 1570 - "Portrait of Julio Clea"
- 1571-1575 - "Exile of merchants from the temple"
- 1573 - "Christ on the Cross"
- 1577-1579 - "Speaking of clothes from Christ"
- 1585 - "Holy Family"
- 1586 - "Burial of the Count Orsas"
- 1587-1592 - "Apostles Peter and Paul"
- 1595 - "Apostle Andrey and Saint Francis"
- 1596-1600 - "View Toledo"
- 1600 - "Self-portrait"
- 1608-1614 - "Removing Fifth Print"