“El Greco: Ambition and Defiance”
Art Institute of Chicago
What the museum says: “Since El Greco’s death, writers, critics, and other observers have struggled with how and where to situate him. Was he a Byzantine icon painter transformed by the artistic revolution of the Italian Renaissance? A social climber desperately seeking noble patronage? A devout believer swept up by fervent mysticism? A proto-Modernist? Was he Greek, Italian, or Spanish? ‘El Greco: Ambition and Defiance’ looks to his works themselves for answers.
By charting the development of his remarkable style across 57 artworks, including large-scale canvases and more intimate panel paintings and sculptures, the exhibition reveals El Greco as a socially and artistically ambitious striver who expected his immense talents to be appropriately acknowledged and rewarded.”
El Greco, (1577–79). Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
Why it’s worth a look: Born Domenikos Theotokopoulos in 1514 in Crete, the artist who came to be known as El Greco was a proto-Modernist painter who managed to carve out a distinct career for himself in the midst of the Italian Renaissance, vying for commissions alongside the likes of Michelangelo and Titian.
The exhibition traces his work from his beginnings as an icon painter, where he learned to maximize scenes of veneration in his flat, stylized scenes. From there, his travels to Italy and Spain were marked by a new style that veered closer to the figurative work of the Venetian Renaissance. The crux of the show is in the force of will behind El Greco’s career, despite numerous roadblocks to his success.
Throughout the show, viewers will recognize the artist’s distinctly elongated forms and elegant compositions, which have made him an enduring and endlessly compelling subject. While the museum is temporarily closed, viewers can still experience the show through virtual tours and interactive tools, including an in-depth look at the work
What it looks like:
Installation view of “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” 2020. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
El Greco, (1577–79). Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
El Greco, (ca. 1570).
Installation view of “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” 2020. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
El Greco, (ca. 1598–99). Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Installation view of “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” 2020. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
El Greco, (ca. 1609-14). The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
El Greco, (ca.1570). Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Installation view of “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” 2020. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Installation view of “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” 2020. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Installation view of “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” 2020. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
El Greco, (1612-14). Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
