1541 -1614 · Crete, Venice, Rome and visions of Toledo

El Greco unites the Cretan icon, the Venetian color and the spiritual impulse of Toledo: elongated figures, electric sky and interior light make each scene immediately recognizable.

Domenikos Theotokopoulos was born in 1541 in Candia, Crete, where he trained in the tradition of the icon. Installed in Venice around 1567, he discovered Titian, Tintoretto and the power of oil color, then stayed in Rome. In 1577, he reached Toledo, which became the definitive center of his career. Altarpieces, saints, apostles and portraits take a personal form: stretched bodies, ascending gestures, cold contrasts and supernatural light. El Greco also painted rare landscapes such as the View of Toledo, where the real city was reorganized to express his character. His workshop also painted rare landscapes such as the View of Toledo, where the real city was reorganized to express its character. El Greco also painted rare landscapes such as stretched bodies, ascending gestures, cold contrasts and supernatural light. El Greco also painted rare landscapes such as the View of Toledo, where the real city was reorganized to express its character. His workshop also painted rare landscapes such as the View of Toledo, where the real city was reorganized to express its character. His workshop also painted rare landscapes such as the View of Toledo, where the real city was reorganized to express its character. His workshop also painted rare landscapes such as the View of Toledo, where the real city was reorganized to express its character. His workshop notably compares Saint Jerome and Christ carrying the cross. Its reading favors color.

El Greco does not distort the figure to distance it from reality: he stretches it until his inner momentum is visible.