El Greco

About the Artist

El Greco was born in Crete in 1541 and died in Toledo in 1614; he was an artist of the Spanish Renaissance. Of Greek origin, he received artistic training in Italy before working in Spain, where he developed his own distinctive style. El Greco's body of work is characterized by a unique expressionism that combines the traditions of Byzantine art with elements of the Western European Renaissance. He built a distinctive visual language using elongated figures and fantastical colors. One of his masterpieces, "View of Toledo," clearly demonstrates his visual style, while "The Opening of the Fifth Seal" is regarded as a masterpiece that powerfully expresses a religious theme.