Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) was born in 1541 in Venetian-occupied Candia, the present-day Heraklion, in Crete, of prosperous, Greek Orthodox parents. Along with painting, he studied classics. In Candia, he painted icons in the style of the post-Byzantine Cretan School, where influences from the Italian Renaissance are apparent.
In 1567 he left Candia for Venice, where he studied under the great Venetian painter Titian and became Completely versed in the art of the Venetian School of the Renaissance, which was characterized by lavish colour.
In the collection of the National Gallery of Greece, we can find three original masterpieces by El Greco: The Entombment of Christ 1568-1570, Saint Peter (1600-1607), and the Concert of the Angels (1608-1614). The first two were acquired in the 1990s with financial contributions from foundations and citizens from all over Greece, while the Concert of the Angels (1608-1614), was purchased by the Greek state in 1931.
The Entombment of Christ (ca 1568-1570) by Theotokopoulos DomenicosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
The Entombment of Christ, ca 1568-1570
Made in Venice, this work is representative of a particular phase in the artist`s development, that is, at a time when he sought to assimilate the teachings of the art of the Renaissance
The articulation of space in perspective is emphasized here by placing the marble sarcophagus on an angle and by the way the figures stand in space, as well as by the modelling of volumes through chiaroscuro and the shadows projecting against the ground.
Of classical proportions, Christ`s body is depicted almost in the guise of an ancient statue.
The profuse colour and dramatic expression culminating in the Virgin`s fainting are traits of the Venice Renaissance art.
The only elements reminding us of the Byzantine provenance of the painter`s art are the wood panel on which the painting is made and the medium of egg tempera, combined here with oil – a medium characteristic of the Italian, especially Venetian Renaissance.
From 1570 to 1577 El Greco lived in Rome, as a guest at the palace of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. In 1572 he enrolled at St. Luke’s Academy. His painting during this period combined the lavish Venetian colour with the spindly dynamic figures of the Roman mannerists. In 1577 he left for Spain, like many Italian artists who went there in order to work on the decoration of the Escorial palace. He settled permanently in Toledo, which continued to be the religious seat of the country.
St. Peter (1600/1607) by Theotokopoulos DomenicosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
St. Peter, ca 1600-1607
Portraits and religious works constitute the main body of his Spanish production, among which are most of his masterpieces.
St Peter belongs to a series of portraits of Christ and the Twelve Apostles which was first produced by El Greco, called "apostolados." Such works frequently decorated the treasury in Catholic churches, where the sacred utensils of the church were kept.
He is holding in his hand the keys he was entrusted with by Christ.
The blue robe and orange himation have been rendered in broad brush strokes; white lights run across the foldings like lightning, evoking the lights and golden trimmings in Byzantine art.
During the last twenty-five years of his life in particular (1590-1614), he achieved the acme of his quests and conquests, while late creations such as Laocoon (c. 1608-1614, Washington, National Gallery of Art) or View and Map of Toledo (c. 1608-1614, Toledo, Greco Museum) are impressive for their iconographic innovations.
The Concert of the Angels (ca 1608-1614) by Theotokopoulos DomenicosNational Gallery of Greece - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
The Concert of the Angels, ca 1608-1614
This strange yet "modern" painting is the heavenly section of an "Annunciation", today in the collections of a Madrid bank. It is one of the very last works painted by Greco shortly before he died in Toledo in 1614.
Left unfinished, the painting teaches us a lot about the artist`s technique. One notices that these angels have no wings.
They are the members of a heavenly orchestra, playing period musical instruments, of the sort that the artist must have seen while living in Venice.
The figures have been rendered in swift brushwork, and the angels` robes sway with movement, as if they were swirling tongues of fire.
Note also the iridescent palette employed by the painter: the orange in red and green, the gold in blue. Changing even as the light falls on them, such colours were called metanthounta by ancient Greeks.
The painting is vibrant with inner life. The Concert may be seen as a precursor of Expressionism.
Far from the influence of the Italians and the intrigues of the court, El Greco discovered his inner self and created an art of sublime spirituality, where Byzantium, the Renaissance and Mannerism were fused into an original and unique style. Theotokopoulos died in Toledo in 1614 without ever returning to his homeland. He always signed his works in Greek, using Byzantine characters: «Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ο Κρης εποίει».
Texts: Marina Lampraki-Plaka, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, ex-Director, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Project leader: Efi Agathonikou, Head of Collections Department, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Images: Stavros Psiroukis & Thalia Kimpari, Photographic Studio, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Athens
Digital curation: Dr. Alexandros Teneketzis, Art Historian & Marina Tomazani, Art Historian, Curator, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum
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