El Greco Essay example -- Essays Papers

El GrecoThe Agony In the Garden, a mannerist style of art by EL Greco, proclaims a sense ofspiritual top executive of religious faith which accomplishes El Grecos aim to move hisaudience. El Greco was born on the island of Crete and lived from 1541 to 1614. Herepresented the most characteristic figure of Spanish Mannerism. El Greco wasinfluenced by and became acquainted with the art of Titian and Jacopo Bassano in Venicewhere he studied in 1566. In addition to visiting Italy, El Greco made his way to Rome,Parma and in all likelihood Florence. On his travels he became more familiar with the work ofParmigianino and the work of Correggio. In El Grecos use of form can be seenFlorentine Mannerism. Venetian Mannerism can be seen in the peculiar brilliance of hiscoloring. The plans for the construction of the Escurial and the discussion of works of art being selected by Philip II, probably attracted El Greco to Spain. However, El Grecofailed to satisfy the Italianate tastes of the King. He lived virtually uninterruptedly in Toledo from 1575 on. In Toledo he formed friendships with men of advanced beliefs andhumanist interests. The monastic, from which his prime commitment came, were glad to prune their churches and cloisters with his elevated visionary paintings. El Grecopaintings bordered on a supernatural world of creative fantasy. Most of his paintingssurvive in a number of copies multi-colored in his own hand. El Grecos studio whichemployed a large number of assistants also produced many contrasts of his works. People were very curious somewhat his paintings with their unusual setting and flickeringimpressiveness.In The Agony In The Garden there atomic number 18 two planes displayed in the art work thatare dislocated by a few bare branches that contain fugitive leaves. The upper planeconsists of the vision of Christ set against a large rock with a few trees. Christ is kneelingin a reddish-purple robe, with hands stretched out toward the ground . He turns toward the floating angel who is painted in pearly greys. Behind the angel, on the left are spinning clouds. Preceding from an outline of an imaginary town, on the right, aresoldiers carrying flags. The inconceivable impression of the picture is due to the contrast of not only passionate and cerebral but in terms of colour- between the two planes and their figural content as w... ...were able tocombine themselves in the melting pot of the European populace and benefited most formthe prudent principles of their times. A Baroque painter even conserved his nationalcharacteristics.Baroque made use of characteristics of the Mannerist style by harming and futurematuring them. There was more unity in Mannerist styles outweighing ideas and morevariance in its forms of presentation. Classicism, however, was piercingly against everything mutual to Mannerism and the Baroque. It condemned Mannerism in someunstable terms, with all its integrity and corruptions.The Master s, such as El Greco were forgotten, but that taste in art could not be transcendental forever. Mannerist art came back to life after it had been dead for a few centuries. It fist came back to life with the discovery of El Greco and others. BibliographyBousquet, J. (1964). La Peinture manieriste. Neuchatel Haraszti-Takacs, Marianne. (1968). The Masters of Mannerism. Corvina Press. Hauser, A. (1964). Der Manierismus. Munich. Sherarman, J. (1967). Mannerism. London. Wolf, R. and Millen, R. (1968). reincarnation and Mannerist Art. Harry N Abrams, Inc.