"Combining clothes with Christ" - a painting by El Greco , painted in 1577-1579 for the sacristy of the main altar of the Toledo Cathedral , where it is located to this day.
| ||
| El Greco | ||
| The combination of clothes with Christ . 1577-1579 | ||
| Spanish El expolio | ||
| Canvas, oil. 285 × 173 cm | ||
| Toledo Cathedral , Toledo , Spain | ||
The painting depicts Christ , with calm indifference turned his eyes to heaven, detached from the cruelty surrounding him [1] . The bright face of the Savior sharply contrasts with the rude figures of the indignant people crowding around him [2] . One of them points accusingly at the condemned to crucifixion, and there is already a dispute over his clothes. A man in green holds a rope tightly tied to the hand of Christ, and prepares to tear off his tunic to prepare for the crucifixion. In the left foreground, the three Marys contemplate woefully as they drill holes for nails in the cross.
El Greco concentrated all the power of his expressive art on the bright red tunic of Christ. Violet shadows in the folds of clothing and light spots on its relief outlines only enhance the regal grandeur of red on the canvas [2] . The vertical composition of the painting and the compressed foreground were probably required by El Greco to emphasize the pressure of the tormentors on the dominant painting in the center of Christ. The exclusion of excess space in the paintings was common among the mannerists of the XVI century.
According to art historian painting is an “extraordinarily original masterpiece” [3] , the emotional effect of which is achieved by an unusually intensive use of paints. Perhaps the majestic images of the Savior from Byzantine art influenced the creation of the painting, since the theme of clothing combining was extremely rare in Western painting of that time [4] . The techniques of late Byzantine painting can be seen in the image of several rows of heads above each other to create a crowd effect [3] . On the other hand, the motive of crowds of people around Christ involves acquaintance with the works of northern masters, such as Bosch , whose largest collection of works belonged to Philip II . The tilted figure in yellow could have been borrowed from Raphael 's tapestry, “The Wonderful Catch of Fish,” which El Greco must have seen in Rome. The rest of the picture was completely innovative for its time.
The artist received an order for work thanks to a long-standing friendship with Luis de Castilla, son of Dean of the Cathedral of Toledo, Diego de Castilla. A document related to this painting, dated July 2, 1577, is the earliest evidence of the appearance of El Greco in Spain. The painting "Combining clothes with Christ" became the subject of controversy between the artist and representatives of the Toledo Cathedral regarding payment for the work done. By the decision of the court, El Greco received 350 ducats, although he himself estimated it at 950. The clergy of the clergy objected to the appearance of the three Marys, since the Gospels do not mention their presence in this scene. El Greco probably borrowed this element, like the rope on his wrist, from Pseudo-Bonaventure 's Reflections on the Life of Christ [4] . Placing torturers above Christ's head was also used as an argument to lower the price of work [1] .
Despite the discontent of the clergy, the picture was a huge success. At present, at least 17 versions of it are known [1] , two of which, much smaller, belong to the hand of El Greco himself, being possibly working sketches.
After restoration work was carried out at the end of 2013, “Blending with Christ” was exhibited among other paintings by El Greco at the Prado Museum and in 2014 was returned to Toledo.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 M. Tazartes, El Greco , p. 100.
- ↑ 1 2 M. Lambraki-Plaka, El Greco-The Greek , p. 53.
- ↑ 1 2 "Greco, El", Encyclopædia Britannica , 2002
- ↑ 1 2 Brown, 1982 , p. 232.
Literature
Jonathan Brown. El Greco of Toledo. - 1982. - 275 p. - ISBN 978-0-8212-1506-7 .