Late 16th - early 17th century · Toledo, supernatural light and spiritual mannerism

El Greco stretches the body of Christ, sets the sky ablaze and transforms witnesses into bursts of color: the Crucifixion becomes a vision suspended between earth and revelation.

Installed in Toledo after his Cretan training and his stays in Venice and Rome, El Greco painted several Crucifixions for altarpieces and private sponsors. The heritage of the icon remains in spiritual frontality, while the Venetian color animates the draperies, the flesh and the skies. The elongated body of Christ often stands out against a darkness crossed by light. The Virgin, Saint John, Mary Magdalene or the donors form at the foot of the cross an ascending movement of hands, gazes and fabrics. The natural space often fades away in favor of an ascending atmosphere of hands, gazes and fabrics. The natural space often fades away in favor of an ascending atmosphere of hands, gazes and fabrics. The Virgin, Saint John, Mary Magdalene or the donors form at the foot of the cross an ascending movement of hands, gazes and fabrics. The natural space fades in favor of a visionary atmosphere: clouds, rocks and distant city seem to participate in the spiritual upheaval of the scene. There selection "Crucifixions of El Greco" notably compares Crucifixion and The Crucifixion. His reading favors the story.

In El Greco, the cross does not only weigh on the earth: the entire composition seems attracted towards an invisible light.