Vol. I · The open image paperWinnipeg · Musée sans mursRecovered · Remembered · Returned
Cleveland Museum of Art108541portraitEl Greco (Spanish, 1541–1614)c. 1590–95CC0cma sacred-art portraits sacred art holy family virgin mary joseph jesus child jesus baroque oil painting religious art italian art stormy sky dramatic lighting red blue gold 17th century tenebrism classical portrait family the holy mary magdalenEl Greco (Spanish, 1541–1614) c. 1590–95 Spain oil on canvas Painting European ReligiousSacred & Devotional Faces in Time
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The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen by El Greco (Spanish, 1541–1614) (c. 1590–95). Gift of the Friends of The Cleveland Museum of Art in memory of J. H. Wade Rights: CC0. https://clevelandart.org/art/1926.247
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From the museum record
The seemingly weightless figures, the startling color combinations, and the moody, imprecise setting all show El Greco’s interest in conveying the intense spirituality of these figures rather than their concrete reality. Above all, the painting addresses Mary’s role as mediator between Christ and the viewer. She supports her son, but her faraway look indicates awareness of his fate. Mary feeds Jesus fruit held by Joseph that is full of symbolic meaning, with the apple representing the fall of man; cherries, the blood of Christ; peaches, salvation; and pears, the sweetness of Christ’s virtue.
Lupin’s visual index
This Baroque painting depicts the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus seated amidst a dramatic, stormy sky.
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