Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.

Saint Francis in Meditation with Brother Leo

Artist Domeniko Theotokopoulos “El Greco” (Greek, 1541 - 1614)

Dateca. 1600-1605

Object number99.2256

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions61 1/8 × 39 3/8 in. (155.3 × 100 cm)
frame: 75 × 55 1/4 × 4 1/4 in. (190.5 × 140.3 × 10.8 cm)

ClassificationsPainting

Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc. Purchased with the support of The Chase Manhattan Bank and Mr. David Rockefeller.

Collections

Spanish Paintings

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThe figure of Saint Francis of Assisi gained popularity during the Catholic Reformation due to his focus on penitence and religious devotion. In this painting, El Greco references Saint Francis's last month of his life, which he spent in isolation with his assistant, Brother Leo. Saint Francis is shown holding a skeleton, meditating on death and its repercussions. El Greco displayed the influence of his Venetian training in his use of dry brushstrokes to create a coarse texture for Saint Francis's clothing, a reference to Franciscan belief in the ideal of poverty.

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