Domenikos Theotokopoulos, El Greco as he came to be known, in his native Crete, was trained in the prevailing local post-Byzantine style, and this background remained fundamental to him and it influenced the unique style that he forged in the later part of his career in Spain. The contemporary post-Byzantine style in which he was trained is typified by one of the few works surviving, the icon of the Dormition of the Virgin. By 1663, the artist had achieved the status of "maestro" in icon painting on Crete.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 2 minutes): Gregorian sequence

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	The Dormition of the Virgin before 1567 Tempera and gold on panel, 61,4 x 45 cm Holy Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin, Ermoupolis, Syros	860*1011 True Color 190 Kb
	St Luke Painting the Virgin and Child before 1567 Tempera and gold on canvas attached to panel, 41,6 x 33 cm Benaki Museum, Athens	810*1006 True Color 155 Kb
	The Entombment of Christ late 1560s Oil and tempera on panel, 51,5 x 43 cm Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Athens	900*1070 True Color 135 Kb