Greek-born Spanish Mannerist Painter, 1541-1614 Considered a representative of late Renaissance Spanish art, El Greco was actually born in Greece, on the island of Crete. After studying in Venice under Titian, El Greco settled in Toledo, Spain in 1577. At the time he was wildly popular, his emotionally religious paintings being just the ticket for the hometown of the Spanish Inquisition. After his death his work was largely ignored until the beginning of the 20th century; now he considered one of the inspired geniuses of Western art. His distinctive style features bold shapes and colors, with elongated and slightly distorted figures. In Toledo El Greco was in constant demand and liked living large: he maintained a private orchestra to accompany his meals.  Related Paintings of El Greco :. | The Christ is driving businessman in the fane | st. louis, king of france | La Purificacion del templo Roma | Madonna and child, and Sta Martina and Sta Agnes | St Veronica Holding the Veil |
Related Artists:
BEUCKELAER, Joachim
Flemish Northern Renaissance Painter, ca.1534-1574 A native of Antwerp, he studied under his uncle, Pieter Aertsen. Many of his paintings contain scenes of kitchen and markets, with religious allusions in the background. His Four Elements series (as of 2004[update], in the National Gallery, London) exemplifies this theme on a large scale. Water, for example, shows a fish market selling twelve kinds of fish, representing the twelve disciples of Jesus. Through an archway in the background we can see Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee after his resurrection, making fish appear miraculously in empty nets. Beuckelaer's work was influential on painters in Northern Italy, particularly Vincenzo Campi.
Bernard Blommers
(30 January 1845 in The Hague - 12 December 1914 in The Hague) was a Dutch etcher and painter of the Hague School. He learned lithography early in his career, and then studied at the Hague Akademie under Johan Philip Koelman until 1868.His early paintings were mostly genre works depicting fishermen and their wives, heavily influenced by Jozef Israëls.The later works (from about 1890) are more loosely painted, although maritime and genre scenes remained the primary subject matter. His work was critically successful during his lifetime, being sought after by English, Scottish and American collectors.
Lodovico Carracci
(21 April 1555 - 13 November 1619) was an Italian, early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker born in Bologna. Ludovico himself apprenticed under Prospero Fontana in Bologna and traveled to Florence, Parma, and Venice, before returning to his hometown. Along with his cousins Annibale and Agostino Carracci, Ludovico in 1585 was a founder and director (caposindaco) of the so-called Eclectic Academy of painting (also called the Accademia degli Incamminati), which in reality was a studio with apprenticed assistants. This studio however propelled a number of Emilian artists to pre-eminence in Rome and elsewhere, and singularly helped encourage the so-called Bolognese School) of the late 16th century, which included Albani, Guercino, Sacchi, Reni, Lanfranco and Domenichino. The Carracci had their apprentice draw studies focused on observation of nature and natural poses, and use a bold scale in drawing figures. Ludovico specifically helped train Giacomo Cavedone. The Carracci are credited with reinvigorating Italian art, especially fresco art, which was subsumed with formalistic Mannerism. Carracci's own works are characterized by a strong mood invoked by broad gestures and flickering light that create spiritual emotion. Ludovico Carracci died in Bologna in 1619.