GRECO, El Greek-born Spanish Mannerist Painter, 1541-1614
Greek painter, designer and engraver, active in Italy and Spain. One of the most original and interesting painters of 16th-century Europe, he transformed the Byzantine style of his early paintings into another, wholly Western manner. He was active in his native Crete, in Venice and Rome, and, during the second half of his life, in Toledo. He was renowned in his lifetime for his originality and extravagance and provides one of the most curious examples of the oscillations of taste in the evaluation of a painter,
Portrait of a Man 53 x 47 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York This painting was identified for long time as a self-portrait and as such it became one of El Greco's most famous portraits. However, lacking certified portraits of the artist, the identification is only a plausible hypothesis based on the resemblance of the sitter to other figures in El Greco's paintings that have also been thought to record the artist's features. There are several assumed self-portraits of the artist included in his compositions from the early Healing of the Blind to the Burial of Count Orgaz, then to the Pentecost, Marriage of the Virgin and the Adoration of the Shepherds. Regardless of the identification of the sitter, this is a fine and particularly compelling portrait by the artist, with the features painted with great sensitivity. The canvas has been trimmed on all sides. The signature on the painting proved to be false and was removed in 1947. Author: GRECO, El Title: Portrait of a Man , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , portrait
Painting ID:: 62338
Portrait_of_a_Man 53 x 47 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York This painting was identified for long time as a self-portrait and as such it became one of El Greco's most famous portraits. However, lacking certified portraits of the artist, the identification is only a plausible hypothesis based on the resemblance of the sitter to other figures in El Greco's paintings that have also been thought to record the artist's features. There are several assumed self-portraits of the artist included in his compositions from the early Healing of the Blind to the Burial of Count Orgaz, then to the Pentecost, Marriage of the Virgin and the Adoration of the Shepherds. Regardless of the identification of the sitter, this is a fine and particularly compelling portrait by the artist, with the features painted with great sensitivity. The canvas has been trimmed on all sides. The signature on the painting proved to be false and was removed in 1947. Author: GRECO, El Title: Portrait of a Man , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , portrait
Holy Family with 138 x 103,5 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest A repetition painted after the original made for the Hospital de Tavera in Toledo in 1595. Author: GRECO, El Title: Holy Family with St Anne , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
Painting ID:: 62339
Holy_Family_with 138 x 103,5 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest A repetition painted after the original made for the Hospital de Tavera in Toledo in 1595. Author: GRECO, El Title: Holy Family with St Anne , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
St Ildefonso 112 x 65 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington This is a smaller replica of the picture in the Hospital de la Caridad in Illescas. It belonged once to the painter Jean Francois Millet, and later to Edgar Degas. The original painting is in the side altar on the left of the main chapel of the church, balancing the Virgin of Charity. Its original place in the church is not known. The painting is not mentioned in the incomplete documentation for the decoration of the chapel, and if, as is probable, it was not painted at the same time, it cannot date much before June 1603, the date of the contract, and was more likely painted soon after the conclusion of litigation in August 1607. In its present position, it makes a grand pair to the Virgin of Charity, and is one of the most splendid of his 'portraits' of Saints. It is difficult, and perhaps not proper, to separate his portraits of Saints from his actual portraits. In both he employs all his means of spiritual or psychological expression. The legend is that Saint Ildefonso, the first Bishop of Toledo, presented an image of the Virgin of the Mantle to a foundation of his in Illescas. The Saint is portrayed before the same image, as he wrote his dissertation on the Purity of the Virgin. The state of inspiration is brilliantly expressed. There is an infinite distinction in expression between the hand poised with the pen in this 'portrait' and the similar motif in the portrait of his son. Author: GRECO, El Title: St Ildefonso , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
Painting ID:: 62340
St_Ildefonso 112 x 65 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington This is a smaller replica of the picture in the Hospital de la Caridad in Illescas. It belonged once to the painter Jean Francois Millet, and later to Edgar Degas. The original painting is in the side altar on the left of the main chapel of the church, balancing the Virgin of Charity. Its original place in the church is not known. The painting is not mentioned in the incomplete documentation for the decoration of the chapel, and if, as is probable, it was not painted at the same time, it cannot date much before June 1603, the date of the contract, and was more likely painted soon after the conclusion of litigation in August 1607. In its present position, it makes a grand pair to the Virgin of Charity, and is one of the most splendid of his 'portraits' of Saints. It is difficult, and perhaps not proper, to separate his portraits of Saints from his actual portraits. In both he employs all his means of spiritual or psychological expression. The legend is that Saint Ildefonso, the first Bishop of Toledo, presented an image of the Virgin of the Mantle to a foundation of his in Illescas. The Saint is portrayed before the same image, as he wrote his dissertation on the Purity of the Virgin. The state of inspiration is brilliantly expressed. There is an infinite distinction in expression between the hand poised with the pen in this 'portrait' and the similar motif in the portrait of his son. Author: GRECO, El Title: St Ildefonso , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
Christ c 98 x 78 cm Cathedral, Toledo This painting belongs to the series of Apostles (Apostolodos) in the Toledo Cathedral. Author: GRECO, El Title: Christ , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
Painting ID:: 62341
Christ_c 98 x 78 cm Cathedral, Toledo This painting belongs to the series of Apostles (Apostolodos) in the Toledo Cathedral. Author: GRECO, El Title: Christ , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
Penitent Magdalen 118 x 105 cm Private collection Autograph version, signed 'dom?nikos theot?kopoulos epoiei'. It is a late composition of the artist, recalling the iconography of Titian. Author: GRECO, El Title: Penitent Magdalen , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
Painting ID:: 62342
Penitent_Magdalen 118 x 105 cm Private collection Autograph version, signed 'dom?nikos theot?kopoulos epoiei'. It is a late composition of the artist, recalling the iconography of Titian. Author: GRECO, El Title: Penitent Magdalen , 1551-1600 , Spanish Form: painting , religious
GRECO,_El Greek-born Spanish Mannerist Painter, 1541-1614
Greek painter, designer and engraver, active in Italy and Spain. One of the most original and interesting painters of 16th-century Europe, he transformed the Byzantine style of his early paintings into another, wholly Western manner. He was active in his native Crete, in Venice and Rome, and, during the second half of his life, in Toledo. He was renowned in his lifetime for his originality and extravagance and provides one of the most curious examples of the oscillations of taste in the evaluation of a painter,