El Greco (1541 – April 7, 1614) was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He usually signed his paintings in Greek letters with his full name, Domenicos Theotokopoulos, underscoring his Greek origin.

El Greco was born in Crete, part of the Republic of Venice and the center of Post-Byzantine art. He trained and became a master within that tradition before traveling at age 26 to Venice, as other Greek artists had done. In 1570 he moved to Rome, where he opened a workshop and executed a series of works. During his stay in Italy, El Greco enriched his style with Mannerism and Venetian Renaissance elements. In 1577 he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death. El Greco received several major commissions in Toledo and produced his best-known paintings.

Purification of the Temple, 1570