El Greco
The Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of the Virgin is a work of art depicting the Virgin as she ascends to heaven, surrounded by the apostles. The underlying theme of The Assumption of the Virgin is religious as it depicts the assumption of the Virgin, which, to faithful Catholics of El Greco's time was not simply a spiritual or religious theme, but also a historical event. The symbolism used reaffirms the religious aspects of the painting. The apostles are shown, bending to the Virgin in reverence, and angels are shown waiting in heaven for the Virgin.
The work is narrative, because it shows an event and tells the story of that event. The story depicted in the painting was a familiar one to Catholics of El Greco's time, just as it is familiar to Catholics of today. Therefore, it is difficult to separate what story the painting is telling from the story of the Virgin's assumption. Looking solely at The Assumption of the Virgin, it is clearly telling the story of a woman who died, who released from her tomb, and who rose to heaven. In addition, it is clear that the woman was revered because of the looks of adoration and awe on the faces of the men surrounding her and the looks of welcome on the faces of the angels awaiting her in heaven.
Looking at The Assumption of the Virgin, one is almost compelled towards a feeling of peace. The first thing one notices when looking at the color scheme used by El Greco in The Assumption of the Virgin is that the colors used are those found in nature; people are colored like people, a tomb like a tomb, and so forth. The second thing one notices is that, one top of the natural-colors, there is a silvery wash, as if light is coming down from heaven. This silvery wash serves to further unify the colors. The silvery wash also lends an intensity to the colors that is not usually found in naturalistic paintings. The overall effect of the colors used is to portray a heavenly event being witnessed by ordinary people.
The directional lines emphasize the idea of the heavenly. At first, one might be tempted...
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