The Assumption of the Virgin

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Artist: El Greco (Greek, 1541–1614)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 403.2 × 211.8 cm (158 3/4 × 83 7/16 in.); Framed: 461.6 × 256.5 × 14 cm (181 3/4 × 101 × 5 9/16 in.)
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

The Assumption of the Virgin was the central image of El Greco’s first major commission, an altarpiece for the Church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, a convent in Toledo, Spain. The painting’s subject, the raising of the Virgin Mary’s body into heaven, relates to the function of the church as the funerary monument of a wealthy noblewoman, Doña Maria de Silva; the iconography of the entire commission focuses on death and salvation.

El Greco used broad, free brushwork, flickering hues, rich color harmonies, and bold figural arrangements to arouse devotional fervor in the viewer and impart a deep sense of faith. The composition is divided into two zones: the earthly sphere of the apostles and the celestial realm of the angels.

El Greco masterfully compressed many figures into a tall and narrow format: In the earthly zone, the apostles’ faces and gestures express a range of emotions through their dynamic, agitated gestures and poses. They are so individually considered that it seems El Greco studied actual studio models. In contrast, the angels in the heavenly scene above are calm, graceful, and direct in their focus toward the looming figure of the Virgin Mary as she rises into their realm.

Text: Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0.