T13 ENG

APPEARANCE OF THE VIRGIN TO SAN LORENZO
(Doménikos Theotokopoulos -GRECO-).
This work was commissioned by the inquisitor Rodrigo de Castro, who was also archbishop of Seville and bishop of Cuenca and Zamora. It is one of the few religious paintings for individuals that El Greco made in his first stay in Toledo.
Saint Lawrence is dressed in a very fine dalmatic with brocades. In his right hand he holds the grill, symbol of his martyrdom. Look at the Virgin with the Child Jesus, located in a cloud and focused by a beam of light. The background is made up of dark clouds with different shades.
The figure is wide and inscribed in a Renaissance triangle, although it is too long. The painter uses a quick and vigorous brushstroke that reveals all the details. The result is a beautiful and very spiritual canvas, as reflected in the saint’s eyes.