The recipient of an MD from Drexel University and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Mark Paskewitz balances a busy career as a clinical operations executive with the pursuit of cultural interests. During his free time, Dr. Mark Paskewitz enjoys listening to classical music, visiting museums, and reading about art. He counts El Greco among his favorite artists.

Born as Domenikos Theotokopoulos in 1541 on the island of Crete, El Greco studied to be an icon painter as a youth. Immersed in Byzantine art as a student, he began working as an icon painter and then moved to Venice to join Titian’s studio, where he absorbed the new ideas of Renaissance artists.

However, it wasn’t until El Greco moved to Rome in 1570 that he began developing the style he is known for today. The shift occurred when he encountered the work of the Mannerists, a school of artists who believed that a work of art drew more value from its meaning and philosophy than from its imitation of nature.

El Greco melded his Byzantine and Renaissance training with these Mannerist ideas to develop a revolutionary style that included elongated figures, dramatic highlights, and unusual color choices. His style has proved influential over the centuries, prefiguring major movements such as Expressionism and Cubism.