Brief Biography-Doménikos Theotokópoulos was from Candia in Crete; little is known of his life in Crete except that he started his painting career there. The Spaniards later nicknamed El Greco, The Greek, as they found it difficult to pronounce his name.
In 1567, he moved to Venice to further his career. Most Greek painters emigrated to Venice, as it was the political capital. During his two years stay in Venice, Titian tutored him. He went to Rome in 1572 and got introduced to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who granted him a place in his palace. While in Rome, conjecture had it that Pope Pious V asked El Greco to cover Michelangelo's Last Judgement figures with loincloths; El Greco suggested painting over the frescos to paint new ones. Hence the outrage of other artists in Rome was why he left for Spain. However, some do not accept this theory as El Greco did not do frescos. They say Spanish clergy members encouraged him to move to Toledo.
Diego de Castilla, Dean of Cannons at Toledo Cathedral, gave him commissions on his arrival in Spain. He was to remain in Toledo for the rest of his life. He soon had a son, Jorge Manuel, who became a painter. El Greco established friendships with the city’s intellectuals, scholars, and preachers. He received commissions for all the leading churches in the town. However, his work never received royal approval from Philip II, but he painted portraits of Spanish nobles and commissions for religious institutions.
He lived somewhat above his means, and other artists saw him as flashy and pretentious. El Greco saw the status of successful artists as higher than was accorded to artists in Spain instead of at an equal level to Italian artists. He took several lawsuits against patrons, demanding extra payments. Later, Dominico carved away much of his wealth on excessive expenditure. When he died in 1614, they interred him in a vault in the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo. Unfortunately, his son Jorge Manuel did not complete works on the church to pay for it, and El Greco’s remains, which got taken to the monastery of San Torcuato, were destroyed.
The Spanish painter and writer Antonio Palomino wrote of Dominico Greco (Scholars did not call him El Greco until after his death). ‘There are of his works in Toledo, but when he found that his paintings often pass’d as Titian’s, he took it in his Head to change his Manner, to such a Degree of Extravagance that his Works became despicable and ridiculous as well for the Irregularity and Dislocation of the Design, as the Disagreeableness of the Colouring.’