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El Greco
Cretan-born painter Domenicos Theotocopoulos, better known by his Spanish nickname, El Greco (c.1545-1614), studied under Titian in Venice before settling down in Toldeo. Commissioned by the church and local nobility, El Greco produced dramatic paintings marked by distorted figures and vibrant color contrasted with subtle grays. Though his work was appreciated by his contemporaries, especially intellectuals, it wasn't until the 20th century that it was widely embraced and admired, influencing in particular the Expressionist movement.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 13, 2017
This little gem was hidden in my bookshelf and i have no clue how it got there. Found it browsing through my neglected books.
In contrast to similar materials (historical books with illustrations) I've read recently, this one is superb. It does a fine job of tying a story with the images. Page after page of exquisite paintings that showcase the progression of art 500 years ago.
During the 1500's Spain turned itself into a bastion for italian artists looking for money and recognition.The Greek a polarizing and influential artist, traveled to Spain on a supposed disagreement over the works at the Sistine chapel. While in Toledo he painted for iconic and important churches in the Iberic peninsula.
Four stars the art and context are unparalleled
Note to self: remeber to look up taschen
In contrast to similar materials (historical books with illustrations) I've read recently, this one is superb. It does a fine job of tying a story with the images. Page after page of exquisite paintings that showcase the progression of art 500 years ago.
During the 1500's Spain turned itself into a bastion for italian artists looking for money and recognition.The Greek a polarizing and influential artist, traveled to Spain on a supposed disagreement over the works at the Sistine chapel. While in Toledo he painted for iconic and important churches in the Iberic peninsula.
Four stars the art and context are unparalleled
Note to self: remeber to look up taschen
January 17, 2019
The Phenomenon, the great iconoclast from Crete that settled in Toledo, Spain. You think about Luther but El Greco paintings, as visual propaganda had a bigger impact. The book has a good timeline of his life, influence in modern arts up to Picaso. Spanish artist started 200 years after him their work, they needed to study the master first (Goya movement).
October 14, 2012
A small, but very good introduction into the art of El Greco. The book explain the basic concepts, relating to his art and creativity.
November 7, 2025
"El Greco" (Taschen Basic Art) by Michael Scholz-Hänsel
This volume from the Taschen Basic Art series is an outstanding and concise introduction to the life and revolutionary work of Doménikos Theotokópoulos, better known as El Greco. It achieves the difficult balance of being both accessible for art novices and intellectually stimulating for those with a deeper interest in art history. It is a perfect, compact resource.
Why 5/5? Mastery in Miniature
Exceptional Visual Quality: As is standard for Taschen, the book features high-quality reproductions of El Greco’s most important paintings (including "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz," "View of Toledo," and his distinctive portraits). The color fidelity allows the reader to truly appreciate the artist's unique, often jarring, color palette and dramatic lighting.
Clear and Concise Analysis: Michael Scholz-Hänsel provides a lucid and scholarly text that efficiently covers the arc of El Greco's career—from his training as an icon painter in Crete, through his time in Venice (where he absorbed the lessons of Titian and Tintoretto), to his revolutionary period in Toledo, Spain.
Focus on Stylistic Innovation: The author excels at explaining why El Greco is so unique. He demystifies the artist's signature style: the elongated forms, the feverish colors, the dramatic religious ecstasy, and the blend of Byzantine, Venetian, and Spanish influences. The book makes a compelling case for El Greco as a forerunner of Expressionism.
Perfect Balance: This volume is the ideal blend of biographical context, cultural analysis, and visual critique. It is substantial enough to feel educational yet compact enough to be read in a single focused session. It perfectly fulfills the mission of the "Basic Art" series.
Conclusion:
"El Greco" by Scholz-Hänsel is a must-have for anyone seeking an accessible yet authoritative overview of this profoundly spiritual and often perplexing master of the Mannerist and proto-Baroque eras. It is a testament to the fact that comprehensive art history does not need to be intimidating.
This volume from the Taschen Basic Art series is an outstanding and concise introduction to the life and revolutionary work of Doménikos Theotokópoulos, better known as El Greco. It achieves the difficult balance of being both accessible for art novices and intellectually stimulating for those with a deeper interest in art history. It is a perfect, compact resource.
Why 5/5? Mastery in Miniature
Exceptional Visual Quality: As is standard for Taschen, the book features high-quality reproductions of El Greco’s most important paintings (including "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz," "View of Toledo," and his distinctive portraits). The color fidelity allows the reader to truly appreciate the artist's unique, often jarring, color palette and dramatic lighting.
Clear and Concise Analysis: Michael Scholz-Hänsel provides a lucid and scholarly text that efficiently covers the arc of El Greco's career—from his training as an icon painter in Crete, through his time in Venice (where he absorbed the lessons of Titian and Tintoretto), to his revolutionary period in Toledo, Spain.
Focus on Stylistic Innovation: The author excels at explaining why El Greco is so unique. He demystifies the artist's signature style: the elongated forms, the feverish colors, the dramatic religious ecstasy, and the blend of Byzantine, Venetian, and Spanish influences. The book makes a compelling case for El Greco as a forerunner of Expressionism.
Perfect Balance: This volume is the ideal blend of biographical context, cultural analysis, and visual critique. It is substantial enough to feel educational yet compact enough to be read in a single focused session. It perfectly fulfills the mission of the "Basic Art" series.
Conclusion:
"El Greco" by Scholz-Hänsel is a must-have for anyone seeking an accessible yet authoritative overview of this profoundly spiritual and often perplexing master of the Mannerist and proto-Baroque eras. It is a testament to the fact that comprehensive art history does not need to be intimidating.
November 6, 2021
El Greco - The Greek - or Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1541-1614) is one of the most significant and singular artists of Western Art history. In this Taschen art book, Michael Schulz-Hansel reviews his life and work.
El Greco is an individual artist, drawing inspiration from his background in Byzantine art, through the art of Italy to the religious drama of Spain. His work looks so modern, yet his art is drawn from the religious fervour of the Spanish Counter Reformation and reflects the time in which he lived.
The book has excellent illustrations and the commentary is both clear and accessible. The section showing how El Greco influenced modern artists, such as Picasso shows the impact his work has had on Western art.
El Greco is an individual artist, drawing inspiration from his background in Byzantine art, through the art of Italy to the religious drama of Spain. His work looks so modern, yet his art is drawn from the religious fervour of the Spanish Counter Reformation and reflects the time in which he lived.
The book has excellent illustrations and the commentary is both clear and accessible. The section showing how El Greco influenced modern artists, such as Picasso shows the impact his work has had on Western art.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2025
O primeiro quadro que eu vi de El Greco, há já muitos anos, foi, curiosamente, o mais famoso: o Enterro do Conde de Orgaz, encerrado numa igrejita modesta no centro de Toledo. O interesse surgiu logo, por pouco que soubesse do autor. Este livro oferece uma introdução ideal ao autor, um dos primeiros verdadeiros originais da arte ocidental, que tantas vezes mais parece ter saído de finais do século XIX do que dos séculos XVI-XVII, como de facto sucedeu.
September 6, 2019
If, like me, you like art but you haven't studied it, you might also think of El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos, 1541-1614) as a rather gloomy painter. I've seen his paintings in the Prado in Madrid and in the Palazzo Barbarini in Rome and also in situ at the church of Santo Tomé in Toledo where 'The Burial of the Count of Orgaz' is the centrepiece of the chapel wall. There's also an El Greco at the NGV: it's called 'Portrait of a Cardinal' and it was purchased through the Felton Bequest in 1950. You can see it here.
My take-home impression of this artist is that he painted lots of sombre noblemen in black outfits with the obligatory white ruffles, and lots of even more sombre religious paintings in very sombre colours indeed. Even allowing for the deterioration of what might have once been brighter paint colours, El Greco seems depressing.
Which is why, when I saw this book at the library, I was quite taken aback by the portrait on the front cover of this book. 'Lady in a Fur Wrap' is quite unlike any of the other El Greco portraits I've seen, and — as it turns out — also unlike the ones in this book. The painting is discussed in the chapter 'Posthumous Fame in Spain' where there is discussion about the extent to which El Greco's son, Jorge Manuel Theotokopoulos (1578-1631) was responsible for finishing some of his father's paintings after his death in 1614. And hmm, it seems to me to be a bit cheeky to put 'Lady in a Fur Wrap' on the front cover of a book about El Greco, because...
So this painting on the front cover of a book about El Greco, probably wasn't his work at all! And from what I can see of her work at Wikipedia, she was a fine portraitist and if I ever get to go back to the Prado, I'm going to look out for the paintings that are now recognised as being painted by her.
Anyway...
This book is one of a series called Basic Art 2.0, and according to its blurb the series has evolved from its beginnings in 1985 with the title 'Picasso', to being the best-selling art book collection ever published. Listed at the back of this book there are 62 more titles representing artists from Bacon to Warhol, as well as 12 books on art genres from Abstract Impressionism to The Blaue Reiter (which was a movement of German Expressionists.) There are also 18 books about architecture, from Aalto to Zaha Hadid.
El Greco, a Prophet of Modernism measures about 26cm x 21cm and most of its 95 pages are full page, full colour reproductions of his art works. There are 9 chapters in which Scholz-Hänsel covers these self-explanatory topics:
From Icon Painter to 'Disciple of Titian'
In Search of Work in Rome and Spain
Under the Sway of Michelangelo
Censorship and Inquisition
Toledo, the Artist's New Home
The Greek Heritage in the Conflict of Confessions
Posthumous Fame in Spain
The First 'Homeless Man of Art' and the Avant-Garde
El Greco 1541-1614 Life and Work (a timeline of his life)
There are three reasons why El Greco is the best-known foreign artist of his period, yet we know much less about him than many lesser Italian artists of the post-Renaissance era. Firstly, he made a long 'pilgrimage' through the Mediterranean before finally settling in Toledo in Spain in 1577. Secondly, it was not until the 17th century that Spanish writers on art emerged, and thirdly, until Goya, there was no Spanish school of engraving, so his works weren't reproduced as prints. Still, recent research has uncovered all kinds of useful documentation, which helps to fill out the picture. Nobody is quite certain which religion he practised, but he probably trained in icon painting in a 'hybrid' Byzantine school. He quickly gained a reputation as a master in this field, and he soon started to experiment beyond the traditional motifs. There are some stunning triptychs in this chapter, on view, apparently in Modena.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/09/07/e...
My take-home impression of this artist is that he painted lots of sombre noblemen in black outfits with the obligatory white ruffles, and lots of even more sombre religious paintings in very sombre colours indeed. Even allowing for the deterioration of what might have once been brighter paint colours, El Greco seems depressing.
Which is why, when I saw this book at the library, I was quite taken aback by the portrait on the front cover of this book. 'Lady in a Fur Wrap' is quite unlike any of the other El Greco portraits I've seen, and — as it turns out — also unlike the ones in this book. The painting is discussed in the chapter 'Posthumous Fame in Spain' where there is discussion about the extent to which El Greco's son, Jorge Manuel Theotokopoulos (1578-1631) was responsible for finishing some of his father's paintings after his death in 1614. And hmm, it seems to me to be a bit cheeky to put 'Lady in a Fur Wrap' on the front cover of a book about El Greco, because...
Recent research dates the work to the 1570s. Yet there are weighty arguments for considering it not a work of El Greco's at all but from the hand of a female artist, Sofonisba Anguissola (1535/40-1625).
So this painting on the front cover of a book about El Greco, probably wasn't his work at all! And from what I can see of her work at Wikipedia, she was a fine portraitist and if I ever get to go back to the Prado, I'm going to look out for the paintings that are now recognised as being painted by her.
Anyway...
This book is one of a series called Basic Art 2.0, and according to its blurb the series has evolved from its beginnings in 1985 with the title 'Picasso', to being the best-selling art book collection ever published. Listed at the back of this book there are 62 more titles representing artists from Bacon to Warhol, as well as 12 books on art genres from Abstract Impressionism to The Blaue Reiter (which was a movement of German Expressionists.) There are also 18 books about architecture, from Aalto to Zaha Hadid.
El Greco, a Prophet of Modernism measures about 26cm x 21cm and most of its 95 pages are full page, full colour reproductions of his art works. There are 9 chapters in which Scholz-Hänsel covers these self-explanatory topics:
From Icon Painter to 'Disciple of Titian'
In Search of Work in Rome and Spain
Under the Sway of Michelangelo
Censorship and Inquisition
Toledo, the Artist's New Home
The Greek Heritage in the Conflict of Confessions
Posthumous Fame in Spain
The First 'Homeless Man of Art' and the Avant-Garde
El Greco 1541-1614 Life and Work (a timeline of his life)
There are three reasons why El Greco is the best-known foreign artist of his period, yet we know much less about him than many lesser Italian artists of the post-Renaissance era. Firstly, he made a long 'pilgrimage' through the Mediterranean before finally settling in Toledo in Spain in 1577. Secondly, it was not until the 17th century that Spanish writers on art emerged, and thirdly, until Goya, there was no Spanish school of engraving, so his works weren't reproduced as prints. Still, recent research has uncovered all kinds of useful documentation, which helps to fill out the picture. Nobody is quite certain which religion he practised, but he probably trained in icon painting in a 'hybrid' Byzantine school. He quickly gained a reputation as a master in this field, and he soon started to experiment beyond the traditional motifs. There are some stunning triptychs in this chapter, on view, apparently in Modena.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/09/07/e...
February 23, 2021
At first glance, El Greco seems like a pretty uninteresting painter. Neither following the neo-classical criteria of Rafael or Miguel Angelo, nor does he fully engage with the marvelous techniques lernt at Titan's workshop. At first, the paintings seems poorly executed and unequal in quality compared to his contemporaries. But then you see it! Expressionism! And in the early 17th century! One is lost for words, when one realises that El Greco was a true visionary. The precursor for expressionism more than 3 centuries later. Just unbelievable. Many art historians believed El Greco suffered from an eye decease, as one could not willingly paint like that. But no it was intentional and totally focused on the emotional aspects of painting. In particular, the Laconte and Apocalisis are breathtaking. As of the book its fine with a good selection of works to understand the remarkable journey if El Greco from byzantine icon-making to modern painting. However, the text focuses on the life of the artist and makes very limited coments on style, color, composition and technique. Furthermore, no deep analisis of any work is made. While the scope of the book is limited and introductionary, I still miss a bit more. Having said that I would stil recommend the book as a preliminary entry to El Bosco.
January 4, 2019
3.5 Estrellas
Si bien no soy un crítico de arte, disfruto leer las interpretaciones de las pinturas y entender los simbolismos de la obra; y El Greco es uno de los pintores que carga sus obras de simbolismo y nos refresca lo ocurrido en el renacimiento en el viejo continente, la religión, la reforma y contrarreforma fueron las mayores influencias de la obra.
En el libro se dan algunos datos importantes de la obra, nos explica qué llevó al pintor a retratar esa obra. Se incluyen alrededor de 20 pinturas con su respectiva explicación e historia. Además de ello se relata a modo de introducción una biografía ampliada del autor que bosqueja y hace más amena la lectura. Un libro recomendado tanto para los ya conocedores del arte de a época como para aquellos que llegan por primera vez.
Si bien no soy un crítico de arte, disfruto leer las interpretaciones de las pinturas y entender los simbolismos de la obra; y El Greco es uno de los pintores que carga sus obras de simbolismo y nos refresca lo ocurrido en el renacimiento en el viejo continente, la religión, la reforma y contrarreforma fueron las mayores influencias de la obra.
En el libro se dan algunos datos importantes de la obra, nos explica qué llevó al pintor a retratar esa obra. Se incluyen alrededor de 20 pinturas con su respectiva explicación e historia. Además de ello se relata a modo de introducción una biografía ampliada del autor que bosqueja y hace más amena la lectura. Un libro recomendado tanto para los ya conocedores del arte de a época como para aquellos que llegan por primera vez.
December 20, 2014
faszinierend!
Ich habe eine aktuelle Ausgabe aus 2014 im coffee-table-format auf deutsch (cover: El Grecos Porträt eines Kardinals mit Brille) gelesen. Der Autor führt in das Leben und Schaffen dieses Künstlers ein und präsentiert eine umfangreiche Werkauswahl. Die Qualität des Bandes für 9,99 € ist großartig.
Was den Künstler (er hat 1541 bis 1614 gelebt und lange in Spanien (Kirche) gearbeitet) angeht: Er wirkt in seinen späteren Werken auf mich sehr modern und seine Gemälde strahlen Energie aus.
Ich habe eine aktuelle Ausgabe aus 2014 im coffee-table-format auf deutsch (cover: El Grecos Porträt eines Kardinals mit Brille) gelesen. Der Autor führt in das Leben und Schaffen dieses Künstlers ein und präsentiert eine umfangreiche Werkauswahl. Die Qualität des Bandes für 9,99 € ist großartig.
Was den Künstler (er hat 1541 bis 1614 gelebt und lange in Spanien (Kirche) gearbeitet) angeht: Er wirkt in seinen späteren Werken auf mich sehr modern und seine Gemälde strahlen Energie aus.
December 1, 2014
La colección de obras mostradas estuvo bastante bien, y la información que provee sobre ellas también es buena. El estilo del Greco me gusta bastante, así que el libro visualmente impacta. Los datos históricos los cuentan de una manera amena, y uno se hace una idea clara de los datos generales y las carácteristicas de estilo del pintor, así como de sus motivaciones y contexto social. Como libro de iniciación estuvo bastante bien, para alguien como yo, que busca saber más acerca de la historia pero aprecia leves pincelazos de información sobre los detalles técnicos.
October 12, 2014
I first learned of El Greco in 1976 when I visited an exhibit of his work at the National Gallery of Art while assigned to work in Washington, D.C. for a few months. I especially remembered the colors and elongated faces in some of his paintings. This book gave me some background on his life and how he developed his painting style. I also learned how much he influenced Picasso.
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August 1, 2008One of the greatest classical painters; El Greco had a style and Spirit of his own and par excellance was the firt artist to be a true force of individuality, in possession of an aesthetics which goes beyond mere theory of art but merges in with philosophy and the symbolism of reality.
June 24, 2019
(22/06/13)
Especial para gente que, tal como yo, no tiene mayores conocimientos sobre arte. Contiene una biografía de El Greco orientada en el aspecto artístico, con explicaciones sencillas acerca de las obras, acompañado de gran cantidad de imágenes. Muy recomendable.
Especial para gente que, tal como yo, no tiene mayores conocimientos sobre arte. Contiene una biografía de El Greco orientada en el aspecto artístico, con explicaciones sencillas acerca de las obras, acompañado de gran cantidad de imágenes. Muy recomendable.
September 30, 2014
A very well-presented publication on the artistic life of El Greco.
April 28, 2017
Excellent overview of the life and times as well as his great masterpieces, of one of my favourite artists.
November 25, 2018
Hansel's account of El Greco's career is competent but uninspired.
September 7, 2021
Lovely book to get acquainted with the life and works of El Greco.
October 21, 2021
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