The union of the Ionian Islands with Greece was the first expansion of the borders of the modern Greek state. After centuries of foreign rule under the Venetians, French, Russians, and British, the Ionian Islands were incorporated into the national body in 1864, when Great Britain, on the occasion of the accession of George I to the Greek throne, decided to cede them to Greece. Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1541–1614), known in the West as El Greco, was born in Crete, where he first studied the art of painting, and later apprenticed under Titian in Venice. In 1577, he settled in Toledo, Spain, where he created his most renowned masterpieces. He is regarded as a forerunner of modernism and influenced many artists of the 20th century. Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896–1960) was an important composer, pianist, and one of the leading orchestra conductors of the 20th century. His long tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and his worldwide recognition established him as one of the most distinguished artistic figures of modern Greece. The European flag was officially adopted in 1985 by decision of the leaders of the ten Member States of the then European Economic Community (EEC). It was based on a design selected in 1955 by another European organization, the Council of Europe, for its own use. The flag consists of twelve gold stars arranged in a circle on a blue background. The stars symbolize the ideals of solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe, while the circle represents unity. The number of stars does not correspond to the number of Member States; rather, the number twelve traditionally symbolizes completeness and perfection.