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Why did El Greco seek work in Spain?
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El Greco
Burial of the Count de Orgaz, oil on canvas by El Greco, 1586–88; in the church of Santo Tomé, Toledo, Spain.
El Greco sought to establish a new career in Spain primarily due to his awareness of Philip II’s ambitious project: the construction of the monastery of El Escorial.1
Additionally, his move was facilitated by his connections with influential Spanish churchmen in Rome. Through his association with the humanist Fulvio Orsini, El Greco met several Spanish ecclesiastics, including Luis de Castilla, who became a close friend. It was Luis’s brother, Diego de Castilla, who provided the artist with his first commission in Spain—a project that may have been arranged before El Greco even departed from Italy.1