El Greco and Nordic Modernism

The rediscovery of El Greco

In the latter part of the 1800th century, artists and art historians alike began to rediscover El Greco, and his distinctive, ecstatic and expressive painting, which was perceived as directly related to modern art. This rediscovery first occurred in France, but later spread in a big way to Germany, among others. In Spain, El Greco was inscribed as a national figure who had in a special way encapsulated the Spanish culture and spirit.

What is described as a “pathologically” distorted idiom is cultivated by the artists, and gradually becomes part of modern art’s search for new expressions. From Pablo Picasso to the Der Blaue Reiter artist group, one sees a deep preoccupation with El Greco’s formal work with distorted perspectives, exaggerated effects, deformed anatomy, phosphorescent lighting effects and deliberate color dissonance. The strongly emotional and gestural expressions are also studied and interpreted by the artists.

From about 1910, El Greco was seriously regarded as a prophet of modern art, and his paintings were juxtaposed with works from his time in exhibitions, books and magazines. The staging of El Greco as a prophet and cult figure took place both through the study of his art, but also his life story, including the extravagant and self-promoting lifestyle and the 300 years in the shadows as a rejected outsider, made him a role model for young artists. With El Greco, a personal and idiosyncratic connection to the past was created that bypassed the academic norm.

El Greco and the Nordic artists

In the Nordic context, El Greco was rediscovered as early as the late 1880s. In 1888, the artist Johan Rohde was the first in Denmark to write about his works, which he had seen at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, and through Rohde, JF Willumsen became acquainted with El Greco, whose works he himself sought out in Madrid and Toledo. Willumsen subsequently described his relationship with the artist as “an obsession”. When Edvard Munch came into contact with Johan Rohde no later than 1888, he may also have been exposed to the El Greco euphoria at an early age.

JF Willumsen's deep interest in El Greco is well documented and resulted, among other things, in the purchase of a number of counterfeits and a single genuine painting by the artist (which belongs to the Willumsens Museum) and in the publication of a two-volume work in French about El Greco's youth. The book contains many factual errors, but is groundbreaking in its search for ethnographic material and the uncovering of El Greco's working method. Willumsen shows how the artist develops his hybrid idiom by allowing artistic expressions and traditions to migrate from place to place, thereby breaking with the geographical boundaries that defined the schools of older art.

The fascination of El Greco

Willumsen was, however, far from the only Nordic artist who was fascinated by El Greco and helped to rewrite art history by emphasizing his originality and importance. Other artists sought out El Greco's works in Madrid and Toledo, saw them at exhibitions in Germany or studied reproductions. Direct and indirect connections exist between El Greco and Nordic artists such as Helene Schjerfbeck, Jens Adolf Jerichau, Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Henrik Sørensen, Johannes Bjerg, Franciska Clausen, Nils Dardel, Harald Giersing, Isaac Grünewald, Frøydis Haavardsholm, Olivia Holm-Møller, Georg Jacobsen, Gerda Knudsen, Per Krohg, Karl Larsen, Edvard Munch, Kai Nielsen, Vera Nilsson, Johan Rohde, Olof Sager-Nelson and Vilhelm Wanscher. In 1920, the Swedish avant-garde dance ensemble Ballets Suédois performed a performance entitled El Greco, which they toured in Europe.