Christ on the Cross by El Greco Body Cushion

Christ on the Cross by El Greco, c. 1600, is an oil on canvas painting depicting the crucifixion of Christ. The expressively elongated form of the body of Christ is nailed into the cross that fills the composition from top to bottom, set into the hilltop at bottom surrounded by human skulls and bones. The ghostly, elongated forms of the figure are set against a black sky with dark clouds that dwarf the distant landscape. Jesus gazes upward towards Heaven as he endures his Passion, while above his head a sign inscribed in Hebrew, Greek and Latin proclaim the Nazarene to be king. Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1541 - 1614) was born on the island of Crete where he apprenticed as a painter of religious icons in the Byzantine tradition. As a young man he studied in Venice under Titian and the painters of the Venetian Renaissance and became known by the moniker El Greco, "The Greek". El Greco permanently settled in Toledo, Spain, where he produced most of his famous paintings and worked also as a sculptor and architect. El Greco's unique manner defies classification, incorporating elements of the Italian and Spanish Renaissance, Byzantine art, Mannerism, and Expressionism. El Greco remained somewhat obscure until the 19th and 20th centuries, when his paintings profoundly influenced the rising modern artists.