El Greco. Il paradosso dell’appartenenza
El Greco or About Not Belonging Anyway

Summary/Abstract: El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos), a post-Byzantine icon- painter registered in Heraklion between 1563 and 1567, first learned Catholic religious art in Italy (1567-1577), then moved to Spain (1577-1614), where, in Toledo, his artistic style matured and became highly original. The Mannerist metamorphoses in El Greco's work are eloquent of his immigrant route to the Mediterranean. However, it is difficult to pin him down to a particular artistic movement and a particular model of visuality. El Greco is a problematic subject for art history, because he cannot be categorized in relation to the artistic styles of his time. The artist's biography and his work were not internationally recognized until the end of the 19th century, with European modernism. The interest of the European and North American art market soon followed, creating the "grecomania" of collectors and the "grecophilia" of artists and scholars. In the case of this artist, we can speak of a spectacular transformation both of his biography and style, as well as in the reception of his work. Therefore, I propose to analyze and interpret the paradox of his belonging with the help of new research tools in visual cultural studies, including: transculturality, emigration / immigration, the process of adaptation and cultural integration, identity crises.

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