In 1567 El Greco decided to abandon a flourishing career on Crete for Venice and to become an Italian painter. It required a now mature master of Byzantine painting to acquire fluency in a naturalist style. In Venice, where he spent about three years before moving to Rome, he studied the works of the aged Titian and his successor, Tintoretto. After some small-scale compositions, such as the Modena Triptych and The Annunciation, he attempted the more complex Purification of the Temple, the first full-blown work in the Venetian manner.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes): Giuseppe Aldrovandini: Sonata in D Major for two trumpets, strings and basso continuo

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	Christ Healing the Blind c. 1567 Oil on panel, 65,5 x 84 cm Gemäldegalerie, Dresden	1042*800 True Color 197 Kb
	The Modena Triptych (front panels) 1568 Tempera on panel, 37 x 23,8 cm (central), 24 x 18 cm (side panels) Galleria Estense, Modena	1356*900 True Color 183 Kb
	Baptism of Christ 1568 Tempera on panel, 24 x 18 cm Galleria Estense, Modena	900*1168 True Color 191 Kb
	The Modena Triptych (back panels) 1568 Tempera on panel, 37 x 23,8 cm (central), 24 x 18 cm (side panels) Galleria Estense, Modena	1369*900 True Color 170 Kb
	Annunciation 1568 Tempera on panel, 24 x 18 cm Galleria Estense, Modena	828*1160 True Color 196 Kb
	Mount Sinai 1568 Tempera on panel, 37 x 23,8 cm Galleria Estense, Modena	622*840 True Color 118 Kb
	The Last Supper c. 1568 Oil on panel, 43 x 52 cm Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna	1089*900 True Color 164 Kb
	Annunciation 1568-70 Oil on panel, 63 x 76 cm Private collection	1100*908 True Color 155 Kb
	The Annunciation c. 1570 Tempera on panel, 26,7 x 20 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid	850*1088 True Color 159 Kb
	The Adoration of the Shepherds 1570-72 Oil on canvas, 114 x 105 cm Private collection	850*919 True Color 124 Kb
	The Purification of the Temple c. 1570 Oil on poplar panel, 65 x 83 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington	1094*850 True Color 183 Kb
	The Purification of the Temple (detail) c. 1570 Oil on poplar panel National Gallery of Art, Washington	850*1152 True Color 176 Kb
	Christ Healing the Blind 1570-75 Oil on canvas, 50 x 61 cm Galleria Nazionale, Parma	1007*820 True Color 186 Kb