In the 16th and early 17th centuries, the Greek-born Spanish painter El Greco began creating his unforgettable portraits, as well as monumental religious paintings, mythological scenes and chaotic landscapes. But at that time, people thought his luminous paintings were a bit weird.

But since the 19th century, when some critics, painters and collectors discovered his works, El Greco has become the object of eternal attachment to artists. The French painter Delacroix collected his "The Disrobing of Christ", the American painter Sargent bought a version of his "St Martin and the Beggar", and the French painter Cézanne copied his portrait "A Lady" in a Fur Wrap”.

Picasso was also a fan. One of Picasso’s most famous works, “Les demoiselles d’Avignon”, was somewhat influenced by Al Greco’s work “Opening of the Fifth Seal”. In the last days of his later years, Picasso even imitated Al Greco's "Burial of Count Orgaz", except that the count was replaced by a roast chicken, and Al Greco's self-portrait was replaced by Picasso's favorite image of wearing striped coat.

In the 1930s, the abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock also studied Al Greco. His sketchbooks were filled with anatomical paintings, studies of clothing patterns and religious scenes, which also served as his inspiration It laid the foundation for creating the drip painting method. El Greco continues to influence a large number of contemporary painters. New York painter John Green remembers his first museum trip, which was to see "The Opening of the Fifth Seal" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York when he was 10 years old.

"That had a huge impact on me," said Mr. Green, the passionate figurative painter. "The paintings were so powerful, it was dazzling."

The first large-scale exhibition of Al Greco's works in the United States for 20 years will be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States on October 7. The exhibition is jointly organized by the Metropolitan Museum and the National Gallery of Art in London. More than 80 works from around the world will be on display here until January 11, before continuing to the UK in February. This exhibition will unveil the mystery of Domenikos Theotokopoulos, who was commonly known to us for the last twenty years by the name El Greco. This exhibition will explore various aspects of his work, with a particular focus on his last, enigmatic work.

"The most meaningful thing about this exhibition is not just to look at a series of works by El Greco, but to see how such a master influenced modern art," said the head of the European Painting Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. said Keith Christison, one of the people responsible for the exhibition. "We want people to see the timeless value of these works and see how ancient and contemporary works resonate."

To highlight this, the organizers arranged a series of 20th-century artists Amplified version of the review about El Greco. It also includes some photos of works by famous artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Cézanne, Thomas Hote-Banton, and Picasso. Next door at the Met, the Robert Woods Johnson Gallery will present five Pollock works, all loosely based on works by Al Greco.

The last time Al Greco's works were exhibited in the United States was in 1982 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. In 1983, after conservators cleared the frame of the religious masterpiece "The Dormition of the Virgin" in a church on the island of Syros, the artist's complete signature was first revealed to the world. Although some scholars believe that El Greco was born in Crete in southern Greece and then moved to Spain, and these should belong to his early works, this discovery confirms and shows that these are his murals. This mural depicts the Virgin Mary and Jesus surrounded by a group of masters and disciples. This mural, along with two other Al Greco murals, will be on display at the Met for the first time, with these works at the forefront. One will see a series of works, all the way to the huge monumental painting of the Crucifixion of Jesus, borrowed from the Louvre.

Although most of the works are arranged in chronological order, there are some exceptions. Among them, the three versions of the work "A boy blowing on the embers of the fire to light a candle" were put together for the first time for comparison. One is from the collection of the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples, Italy, dating from the 1450s; the other is from Harewood House in Yorkshire, England, dating from the 1470s; and the third is from the Royal Palace in Edinburgh. The National Gallery of Scotland began around the late 1380s and early 1990s.

“I would especially like to mention the author’s way of painting, which is to draw an outline first and then continue to reshape it in his subsequent painting career.

" Christison said.

The British National Gallery in London took the initiative to contact and propose to jointly organize this exhibition. The special person in charge of this exhibition is David David, an Al Greco scholar from London. Christison wanted to co-organize this exhibition mainly because of the many outstanding works of Al Greco that can be found throughout the United States.

"People who collect the Impressionists will definitely collect Al," Christison said. ·The works of El Greco. ”

One of them was Roizen Havemeyer, a major collector in the early 20th century and the most important patron of this exhibition. In 1901 she went to Spain, As Cassatt visited the Ornette Palace in Madrid, there she saw for the first time a large portrait of the famous Cardinal Nino Guevara, wearing a crimson robe and with black-framed eyes, a gaze. expression. She bought the work three years later and gave it to the exhibition organizing committee in 1929. Scholars generally consider this portrait a landmark work in European portraiture. You stand in front of a judge with a solemn face," Christison said. "This seriousness is not the appearance, but the shaping of the expression and character. This is a spiritual portrait. ”

Each gallery has El Greco’s ethereal and illusory works. Inexplicably dark scenery, dark clouded skies and colorful religious scenes. A technician unveiled for us “The Adoration of the Name of Jesus” cover, revealing a brightly colored canvas, exclaiming: “He used up all the colors. "

Other works have a twisted, grotesque, and mysterious style.

"The potential of these works is immeasurable. "Contemporary figurative painter Lisa Yuskavage said. "These works are both witty and clumsy. He is such a clear-minded person, so whether this clumsiness is a mistake or has a deeper meaning can only be speculated by each of us.