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1541
Time of Birth
El Greco was born in the Kingdom of Candia, which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, and the center of Post-Byzantine art. -
Period: 1559 to 1567
Early life
El Greco received his initial training as an icon painter of the Cretan school, a leading center of post-Byzantine art. In addition to painting, he probably studied the classics of ancient Greece, and perhaps the Latin classics also. -
1567
Moving to Italy
It was natural for the young El Greco to pursue his career in Venice, Crete having been a possession of the Republic of Venice since 1211.Though the exact year is not clear, most scholars agree that El Greco went to Venice around 1567 -
Period: 1567 to 1570
His life in Venice
He moved to Venice in 1567. He joined Tiziano's workshop.His works painted in Italy were influenced by the Venetian Renaissance style of the period, with agile, elongated figures reminiscent of Tintoretto and a chromatic framework that connects him to Titian. -
Period: 1570 to 1576
His life in Rome
He moved to Rome. He was received as a guest in Palazzo Fanese, the centre of intellectual and artistic life of the city and he tried to distinguish himself as a painter by inventing unusual interpretations of traditional religious subject matter -
1577
Moving to Spain
In 1577, El Greco migrated to Madrid, then to Toledo, where he produced his mature works. At the time, Toledo was the religious capital of Spain and a populous city[h] with "an illustrious past, a prosperous present and an uncertain future" -
Period: 1577 to
His life in Spain
El Greco made Toledo his home.The decade 1597 to 1607 was a period of intense activity for him. During these years he received several major commissions, and his workshop created pictorial and sculptural ensembles for a variety of religious institutions. -
1578
Birth of his son
His son was born but he never got married. His son assisted his father, and continued to repeat his compositions for many years after he inherited his studio. -
Time of Death
He died in Spain in 1614. Two Greeks, friends of the painter, witnessed this last will and testament (El Greco never lost touch with his Greek origins).He was buried in the Church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, aged 73.