Dormition of the Virgin (El Greco)

Dormition of the Virgin (El Greco)
The Dormition of the Virgin
Artist El Greco
Year 1565-1566
Type Tempera and gold on panel
Dimensions 61.4 cm × 45 cm (24.2 in × 18 in)
Location Holy Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin, Hermoupolis

El Greco painted his Dormition of the Virgin near the end of his Cretan period, probably before 1567. El Greco' signature on the base of the central candelabrum was discovered in 1983. The discovery of the Dormition led to the attribution of three other signed works of "Doménicos" to El Greco (Modena Triptych,St. Luke Painting the Virgin and Child, and The Adoration of the Magi) and then to the acceptance as authentic of more works, signed or not (such as The Passion of Christ (Pietà with Angels) painted in 1566),[1]

This discovery constituted a significant advance in the understanding of El Greco's formation and early career.[2] The painting combines post-Byzantine and Italian mannerist stylistic and iconographic elements. El Greco is now seen as an artist with a formative training on Crete; a series of works illuminate the style of early El Greco, some painted while he was still in Crete, some from his period in Venice, and some from his subsequent stay in Rome.[3]

The icon, which retains its function as an object of veneration in the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Syros, was probably brought to the island during the Greek War of Independence. The icon conforms closely to the established pattern for this subject, which was very common in the Orthodox Church in which El Greco was raised and was influenced by.[2] Nevertheless, it has lost some elements of the traditional Byzantine austerity, adopting traits of the Renaissance engravings.[4]

The composition of the Burial of the Count of Orgaz has been closely related to the Byzantine iconography of the Dormition of the Theotokos. The examples that have been used to support this point of view have a close relationship with the icon of the Dormition by El Greco that was discovered in 1983 in the church of the same name in Syros. Marina Lambraki-Plaka believes that such a connection exists.[5] Robert Byron, according to whom the iconographic type of the Dormition was the compositional model for The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, asserts that El Greco as a genuine Byzantine painter worked throughout his life with a repertoire of components and motifs at will, depending on the narrative and expressive requirements of the art.[6]

See also

Cretan School

External references

References

  1. ^ D. Alberge, Collector Is Vindicated as Icon is Hailed as El Greco
  2. ^ Cormack-Vassilaki, The Baptism of Christ
  3. ^ M. Tazartes, El Greco, 74
  4. ^ M. Lambraki-Plaka, El Greco-The Greek, 55
  5. ^ R. Byron, Greco: The Epilogue to Byzantine Culture, 160-174



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dormition of the Theotokos — Dormition of the Virgin redirects here. For the El Greco painting of the same name, see Dormition of the Virgin (El Greco). Icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos by El Greco, 16th century (Cathedral of the Dormition, Ermoupolis). The Dormition… …   Wikipedia

  • Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple (El Greco, London) — Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple is a 1600 Christian art painting by El Greco, now in the National Gallery in London, England. It depicts the Cleansing of the Temple, an event in the Life of Christ …   Wikipedia

  • Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple (El Greco, Madrid) — Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple is a 1609 Christian art painting by El Greco, now in the church of San Ginés in Madrid. It depicts the Cleansing of the Temple, an event in the Life of Ch …   Wikipedia

  • Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple (El Greco, New York) — Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple is a 1595 1600 Christian art painting by El Greco, now in the Frick Collection. It depicts the Cleansing of the Temple, an event in the Life of Christ …   Wikipedia

  • Coronation of the Virgin — Giacomo di Mino s version of 1340 1350 is typical of the smaller Gothic depictions …   Wikipedia

  • The Disrobing of Christ — Artist El Greco Year 1577 1579 Type oil on canvas Dimensions 285 cm × 173 cm (11 …   Wikipedia

  • The Burial of the Count of Orgaz — Infobox Painting| title=The Burial of the Count of Orgaz artist=El Greco year=1586 1588 type=oil on canvas height=460 width=360 city=Toledo, Spain museum=Santo Tomé The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is a painting by El Greco, a painter, sculptor,… …   Wikipedia

  • Virgin Mary —    The mother of God whom Catholic doctrine declares she conceived without sin. Mary is the most highly regarded of all saints. She was the daughter of Joachim and Anne who conceived her in old age, and was betrothed to Joseph when the angel… …   Dictionary of Renaissance art

  • Opening of the Fifth Seal — The Opening of the Fifth Seal Artist El Greco Year 1608–1614 Type oil on canvas Dimensions 224.8 cm × 199.4 cm (88.5&# …   Wikipedia

  • El Greco — This article is about the artist of the Spanish Renaissance. For other uses, see El Greco (disambiguation). El Greco Portrait of An Old Man (presumed self portrait of El Greco), circa 1595–1600, oil on canvas, 52.7 × 46.7 cm, Metropolitan… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”