Why is el greco called el greco

In a broad way, El Greco can be further seen as a precursor to the canon of modern art , leading the path away from traditional naturalistic approaches into a new artistic dialogue which emphasized culling from emotion, inner drama, and bold new renditions of color and free flowing figuration. His work laid a significant groundwork for the development of Expressionism and the Blaue Reiter Group. We can see a direct link to El Greco in many Expressionist landscapes that utilized a more organic approach to color and form like in the works of Vincent van Gogh.

Christiansen has written that above all, El Greco "was both the quintessential Spaniard and a proto-modern - a painter of the spirit," who rejected a materialist culture and chased the "inner mystical" constructions of life. He emphasizes, that, aside from El Greco's immense influences on various art movements and artists, it remains the spiritual and mystical attributes of his work that establishes his universal legacy.

Content compiled and written by Sarah Frances Dias. Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Kimberly Nichols. The Art Story. Ways to support us. Movements and Styles: Mannerism. Overview and Artworks. Important Art by El Greco. Overview and Artworks Biography. Diego Rivera. Francis Bacon. Julian Schnabel. Summary Concepts Artworks. High Renaissance. Dutch Golden Age. School of London. Cite article. Correct article. Updated and modified regularly [Accessed ] Copy to clipboard.

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You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Sign in with your library card Please enter your library card number. Greco, El c. All rights reserved. Sign in to annotate. He found enthusiastic patronage and developed a flourishing career—as a portraitist, a creator of wildly popular religious images for private devotion in the home, and a decorator of important large-scale family altars and chapels.

While his dramatic style fell out of favor after his death, it is now seen as a forerunner of many 19th- and 20th-century art movements. Related Content. Explore Further.