El Greco is with out a doubt the most remarkable "Spanish" painter. He along with other great Spanish painters like, Goya and Velasquez, shaped Spanish culture. El Greco, in my opinion is one of the best Spanish painters. But, if you know your Spanish, his name means "the Greek". So if you are now wondering why he is called The Greek, and is considered a Spanish artist, I will explain everything to you.
El Greco was born in 1541 in Candia, Crete and spent much of his life traveling between Venice, Rome, and Spain. El Greco was soon to settle in Toledo. When he settled in Spain, the christian doctrines made a crucial impact on his approach to painting. The church restrained many different types of paintings. Landscapes were one of the types of paintings banned. El Greco broke these rules with amazing paintings such as The View of Toledo. When he came to Spain, He signed his name in Greek characters, using the Latin form of his Christian name, and repeatedly declaring himself as a native of Crete. He appeared before the tribunal of the Inquisition at Toledo in 1582, as interpreter for one of his compatriots who was accused of being a Moor; he then definitely announced that he had settled in Toledo. Nothing is known of his parentage or early history, nor why he went to Spain; but in time he became typically Spanish, and his paintings exhibit all the characteristics of the people amongst whom he resided. From very early days he struck out a definite line for himself, glorying in cold tones with blue, in the use of gray and many varied tones of white, and in impressionistic work which foreshadowed ideas in art that were introduced one hundred and fifty years later. His first authenticated portrait is that of his patron and fellow-countryman.
His first important commission in Spain was to paint the reredos of the Church of Santo Domingo of Diego at Toledo. He may have been drawn to Spain in connexion with the work in the Escorial, but he made Toledo his home.
