So, first of all, the article by Fernando Marias tells us about El Greco’s life, and in order to decide whether his Grecian heritage or his living in Spain influenced his painting more, you need to know about El Greco’s life. He was born in 1541 in Crete, an island that is part of Greece, and stayed there until 1566. It is not known who taught El Greco to paint; however, he was a master artist by 1563. His paintings that are assumed to be from his time in Greece are St Luke Painting the Virgin and Dormition of the Virgin. These are thought to be mostly of the Post-Byzantine style with some Western influence. Ok, so what is Post-Byzantine style? It is a style where holy icons of Christian and Catholic faith are painted. This was extremely common in Crete. El Greco painted several other paintings during this time, but it is unknown whether or not they were painted in Crete or during his short time in spent in Venice.
In 1570, El Greco moved to Rome, where he lived until 1577. Now, you may be wondering why he spent such a short time there. It’s basically because El Greco was extremely critical of the paintings of his fellow artists. These criticisms included Michaelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel. He criticized both Michaelangelo and Raphael for their limits as “colourists, their rejection of the direct imitation of nature and their reverence for the Antique.” El Greco considered himself to be a “colourist” which means that he used intense colors in his paintings to make them more dynamic. In his opinion, Raphael and Michaelangelo’s paintings were not very dynamic. Because of his love and use of color, El Greco would become a famous painter in Spain; however, he eventually had to leave Rome mainly because of his criticisms of Michaelangelo. He went to Spain in 1577 and resided in Toledo until his death in 1541. In Spain, he received many public and private commissions, meaning that he was hired by different people to paint specific things. El Greco painted religious paintings, portraits, and a few landscapes, such as View of Toledo, that led to his fame and demand in Spain. Not only did El Greco paint however; he also designed several sculptures and architectural decorations. Despite his extensive accomplishments during this time, there is no evidence that he had a large workshop in which to produce his works.
Well, now that you know about his life, we can talk about what people thought about him during his time and what they think of him now. During his time, El Greco was considered to be an Italian, a philosopher who often made observations about the world, and a painter who strove to be original. People thought that his paintings combined high qualities of art with his contempt for “the norms of decorum and religious devotion expected of painting.” This means that his paintings had qualities of the high style of the 17th century,but that he refused to bend to the rules that painters were expected to follow. In the 18th century, this combination was thought to be caused by El Greco’s madness. In the 19th century, it was suggested that his paintings were from an unhealthy imagination. Obviously, his style of painting was not well received by the majority of people after his death. Some people in the 20th century even said that his paintings were a result of astigmatism or that he had a problem with his eyes. Finally in Spain, El Greco’s style in painting was recognized as something interesting and as the style preceding that of Velasquez, a famous Spanish painter. This opinion of El Greco caused the argument of whether he was a Spanish or Greek painter because those claiming that he was influenced the most by Spanish painters claimed that he was a Spanish painter as well, whereas the Greeks believed that he was most influenced by his time in Greece and by the painters in that area.
In the opinions of several historians, his paintings tie in with the Counter Reformation, a period of Catholic revival, in Spain, and therefore he is considered to be a Spanish painter; however, in others’ opinions, he is considered to be a Greek painter because of the Byzantine elements found in his paintings. Several historians believe that the Italian influences and El Greco’s ideology make it so that his work can be linked to the Hispanic interpretations of the philosopher Erasmus, while some believe that this links him to the works and ideas of the Greek tradition. This argument actually caused another argument to be formed. On the one hand, some historians believe that El Greco was deeply rooted in the Spanish Counter Reformation and in his faith. This is said to be seen through the inspiration that his religious paintings give to those viewing them. On the other hand, in the opinion of Marias,judging from El Greco’s writings, he was just a philosopher who was detached from all the religious happenings of his day and who only concerned himself with artistic and intellectual issues. Obviously both sides of each argument have their opinions for a certain reason. The problem comes when you must decide which side you agree with.
In conclusion, El Greco’s reason for painting the way he did is not really known although there are two major opinions about this issue. Also, he is considered to be both a Spanish and Greek painter. In my opinion, it seems that his time in Spain would have had more influence on his painting style because of the amount of time he spent there, however, I am not an art critic so I will ultimately leave that decision up to you. Remember, this argument may not be important to you, but it is always good to know what is going on in our world and to know how to make a decision in an argument that may seem insignificant but could have a great impact on the world. I hope this blog has taught you something about El Greco and has helped you practice making decisions. Have a great day and don’t forget that every decision matters!
Marias, Fernando. Greco, El. Oxford University Press. 26 May 2010.
http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T034199?q=El+Greco&hbutton_search.x=0&hbutton_search.y=0&hbutton_search=search&source=oao_gao&source=oao
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inillotempore.com
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