For his contemporaries in Venice at the end of the 16th century, El Greco (1541-1614) was a man against the current, a born artist endowed with extraordinary talent, determined to follow his own path . Throughout his entire career, as he moved from Crete to Venice, and from there to Rome, and ultimately to Toledo, the Greek steered clear of the mainstream, blending different traditions of Western art to create a unique pictorial language.
El Greco's particular style rejected both naturalism and ease . Works such as Expolius of Christ (1577-1579), The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (1586-1588) and The Opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse (1608-1614) show a combination of twisted and elongated figures, unreal colors and an experimental representation of space that prevent casual contemplation and pursue an art of epic grandeur and intellectual beauty. Viewed with suspicion and criticized throughout his life, the figure of El Greco was resurrected thanks to the fervor of a number of modern admirers, such as Pablo Picasso , Roger Fry and Franz Marc, one of the founders of Der Blaue Reiter. Today, the artist belongs to the select group of great old masters of painting, he is a rare bird of his time and a point of reference through the centuries.
This book explores the influence and ingredients that make up El Greco's radical and highly personal vision , from the symbolic world of Byzantine icons and the humanist values of the Renaissance to the beginnings of conceptual practice.About the seriesEach book in the Basic Art Series from TASCHEN includes:a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, addressing their historical and cultural significance;a concise biography;approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory comments.
Author: Michael Scholz-Hänsel
Binding: Hardcover
Format: 21 x 26 cm
Pages: 96
Spanish Language
