Saint Francis by El Greco Notebook

Saint Francis by El Greco, c. 1580, is a half-length oil on canvas portrait painting of the famous Christian saint of Assisi. Dressed in grey monk robes, the Saint looks heavenwards towards the bright light to one side. On the rock before him is a human skull. The wounds of Christ's crucifixion, the stigmata, appear on Francis' hands. El Greco uses his full repertoire of expressive composition and the lessons of Venetian painting to produce a truly powerful work of religious fervour. Domenikos Theotokópoulos (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.