El Greco

El Greco, the famous Cretan painter

El Greco, (1541-1614), Spanish Mannerist painter, whose work, with that of Francisco de Goya and Diego Velázquez, represents the acme of Spanish art. El Greco (meaning “The Greek”) was born in Fodele, Crete (then a possession of the Republic of Venice), in 1541 and was named Domenikos Theotokopoulos.

Details of his early life and training are sketchy, but he probably first studied painting in his native city. Although no works from his first years survive, they were probably painted in the late Byzantine style popular in Crete at the time (see Byzantine Art and Architecture).

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