El Greco (Doménikos Theotokopoulos)

El Greco was in Hania, Crete in 1541. At that time Crete
was part of the Republic of Venice.
As a man he studied Byzantine icon painting in Hania.
He to Venice in 1567 where he continued to study
painting. In 1570 he went to Rome. He and worked in
Rome until 1577.
In 1577 he moved to Spain in Toledo, near Madrid where he
lived and worked until the of his life. He died in 1614 at
the of 73.
El Greco had a very individual style. His show both
Byzantine and Italian styles. They also show strong Catholic
religious elements from Spain.
He is one of the famous painters of the 16th century. His paintings influenced many
artists after him, for example Picasso and Cézanne.
In honour of El Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis his autobiography “A Tribute to Greco”.


Words:
1. icon = εικόνα
2. individual study = προσωπικό στυλ
3. religious elements = θρησκευτικά στοιχεία
4. influence = επηρεάζω
5. autobiography = αυτοβιογραφία
6. tribute = φόρος τιμής