EL GRECO IN SPAIN. THE SUCCESS OF A GREAT PAINTER

El Greco was a painter who was already recognised by his contemporaries. With a Byzantine-Cretan tradition, he moved to Italy in 1567. In Venice and Rome he developed his art based on the naturalism of light and colour and also acquired a theoretical education, turning him into a philosopher known for his sharp sayings. Failing to find success in Italy he moved to Spain in 1577, where he remained until his death in 1614. He found success in Toledo, where he painted for the Cathedral and for the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo. Philip II asked him to work at El Escorial. The picture of the Burial of the Count of Orgaz became famous and expensive as soon as it was painted. In 1596 Theotocppoulos began to receive important commissions: the altarpieces for the Dona Maria de Aragon in Madrid, for the Guadalupe Monastery, for the chapel of San Jose in Toledo, for the Hospital de la Caridad in Illescas and for the Hospital Tavera. He was the best portraitist of his time, painting mythologies and landscapes, as well as religious themes. A success.