Portrait of a Man

El Greco's Portrait of a Man of around 1570, one of his earliest extant works from before his Toledo period, shows his formation as a portraitist in the Venetian tradition under Titian's influence. The three-quarter pose, the dark clothing, and the direct gaze create a study in Italian Renaissance portraiture conventions that El Greco was mastering before his Spanish career transformed his style. The painting provides evidence of his technical starting point — already accomplished in the Venetian manner — before the personal idiom that made him so distinctive began to develop.

The portrait reveals El Greco's Italian training in its warm palette and naturalistic modeling, with the Venetian influence visible in the rich dark tones and sensitive rendering of the face.