El Greco in Toledo, 2001, 128 p., 120 col. -

El Greco, whose real name was Domenikos Theotocopoulus, was born in Crete, trained in High Renaissaence Venice and Rome, and moved to Toledo in 1577. He saw himself as the epitome of the artist as courtier and philosopher, a contrast to the craftsman who emphasised the medieval aspects the city, including 'El Espolio' in the cathedral and 'Burial of the Count of Orgaz' in Santo Tome. His landscape paintings of the city are unparalled - and even his monumental rendering of Laocoon refers to his adopted city which, in legend, was founded by the Trojans. This stunningly illustrated title is a highly informative study of El Greco's paintings of the landscape and monuments of the city of Toledo. Many of El Greco's masterpieces still grace the city of Toledo - particulary El Espolio in the cathedral and his magnificient The Burial of the Count of Orgaz in the parish church of Santo Tomé. Special attention is given in this book to the highly unusual representations he painted of the city, especially the View of Toledo, with its precise delineations of important buildings and the surrounding landscape.