Our Moving Fate: A Study of El Greco’s Assumption of the Virgin Essay

Our sorrowful Fate A Study of El Grecos Assumption of the sodding(a) El Greco painted his Assumption of the Virgin in 1577 for the convent of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo, Spain. Born in Greece as Domenikos Theotocopoulos, (his nickname translates from Spanish into The Greek), El Greco was the top artist of the Spanish School, and was commissioned to paint Assumption to alter the convents altar. The painting is a daunting sizeoer 6 feet wide and twice as tallsurrounded by a wooden frame tinted with a non-uniform metallic gold paint. The oil on canvas creates some, although not obvious texture, and brush strokes are visible alone slightly in the garments of the human subjects. The Virgin Mary is the main augur in the painting, situated horizontally-cente blushful in the upper-half of the canvas. She is wearing a blue menses gown which begins below her bosom and reaches down to her feet, and a deep red fabric covers her chest and upper limbs. Her arms are outstr etched and she is smell up into the heavens, flanked by female angels, adults and infants, who are praying and looking on. Below the clouds in the bottom-half of the canvas is a group of mortal men with mixed emotions and unconnected into two groups leaving a part in the mass presently below Mary. All of the figures wear loose outfits similar to Marys, and some(prenominal) of the colors, bright but not full, are repeated throughout. One problematic detail particularly worth noting is a small piece of pureness paper in the bottom right-hand corner of the canvas. El Greco added the two-bagger to the paintings that he believed were his true masterpieces. Regardless of any analysis, it is certain that El Greco was super proud of Assumption, and believed it to be one of his best.... ...Assumption of the Virgin, El Greco has done ternary remarkable things. His use of sneaky geometry and symbolism first completely hijacks view as of the viewers gaze, and then creates a dynamic, accelerating thought on what is in reality a canvas at rest. Finally, instead of simply presenting a scene, he creates an actual anticipation of judgment, and brings the viewer so completely into the scene that he shares the same fate as the painted mortals themselves. It is fitting that El Grecos masterpiece made its way to the altar in a sanctuary, where its effect would be most appropriate. And perhaps this was El Grecos aim all along. As a believing Catholic, he must guard been satisfied to know that worshipers praying in Antiguos church would witness, and literally labor union humankind as they desperately tried to please God, agonizing over his judgment of their own fate.