Christ Carrying the Crossca. 1577–87
Christ embraces the cross against an empty sky, his eyes raised heavenward and his long, slender fingers resting lightly on the wood. More about this work
About this work
Christ embraces the cross against an empty sky, his eyes raised heavenward and his long, slender fingers resting lightly on the wood. El Greco strips away the crowd and the road to Calvary found in most depictions of the subject, leaving a single half-length figure for private meditation. The composition proved so popular that he and his workshop painted it many times; this version dates from his first decade in Spain. Look at the contrast between the calm face and the crown of thorns, and between the deep red robe and the dark wood of the cross.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
El Greco
Spanish, 1541–1614 · Born in Iráklion (Candia); died in Toledo.
El Greco, “the Greek”, was born in Crete and trained in the Byzantine icon tradition before studying Venetian painting and working in Rome. From 1577 he lived in Toledo, where his first major commission was the high altarpiece of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, to which The Assumption of the Virgin belongs. His mature style, with elongated figures, flickering light and acid colour, found few imitators in his time but was rediscovered with enthusiasm by modern painters.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1975.1.145
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Paintings
- Department
- Robert Lehman Collection
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
