Domenikos Theotokopulos
Domenikos Theotokopulos (better known as El Greco) was born on an unknown date in 1541 in Heraklion Crete, then part of the Republic of Venice. His father Georgios was a merchant and tax collector, nothing is known about his mother. He also had a brother, Manoussos. His best known relationship is with a woman named Jeronima de las Cuevas, who lived in Spain.
El Greco lived through an interesting time of history from the mid 1500s to the early 1600s. During that time, he saw Elizabeth I crowned as the Queen of England in 1559. In 1592, the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade by the English, taking slaves from Sierra Leone to the Caribbean. The Fire of Moscow in 1571. The first believed performance of Julius Caesar at Globe Theatre in London. In 1607, ships arrived at Jamestown to establish the first English settlement in the Americas.
El Greco didn't live an "easy" life. He had a child with another woman while he was still married. After moving to Spain, he lived a life of heavy criticism from critics. He was also in a number of legal disputes with authorities. He lived during the time of the Spanish Renaissance, and often did oil paintings, sculptures and worked with architecture.
He definitely has a distinct style...I like it, I think. The collar in his self-portrait evokes what many of us think of the Shakespearean times he lived in...
ReplyDeleteYour post title is very clever. No wonder his name was truncated.
I wasn't sure when he lived when I first chose him, but after seeing the collar, I knew he must have lived around the same time as Shakespeare.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was funny his name hat that classic- "opulos" ending. I guess the Spaniards thought his name was too long also.