plate no. 5583

St. John the Evangelist and St. Francis

oil, canvasMannerism (Late Renaissance)religious paintingfiguresreligiousrobesskycloudschalice

recreation guide

This artwork, created in 1608 during El Greco’s mature period in Toledo, exemplifies his distinctive Mannerist style characterized by dramatic spiritual emotion and elongated forms. Rather than aiming for naturalistic description, El Greco sought to dramatize the subject, transferring intense devotional mood directly to the viewer, consistent with the religious spirit of Counter-Reformation Spain (Source 2). The painting likely features his signature elongated figures and otherworldly anatomy, which he believed were necessary for aesthetic perfection, even if they disregarded the laws of nature (Source 2). The composition would demonstrate an interweaving of form and space, unifying the painting surface through a reciprocal relationship between the figures and their environment (Source 2). The use of light is a critical component of this work. El Greco’s mature style often depicts figures that seem to carry their own internal light or reflect light from an unseen source, a technique linked to Christian Neo-Platonism (Source 2). The color palette would likely exhibit the 'fantastic or phantasmagorical pigmentation' noted in his later works, marrying Byzantine traditions with Venetian Renaissance chromatic frameworks (Source 5). The execution may appear perturbed or seemingly careless to the untrained eye, but this was a studied effort to acquire a freedom of style, allowing for the rapid appreciation and imitation of color modifications and tonal shifts (Source 2, Source 1).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (linseed or walnut oil binder)	Primary medium for achieving rich, dense color and layering capabilities	High-quality artist-grade oil paints
Canvas	Support surface, consistent with the medium specified for this work	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Turpentine	Thinner for initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits or pure gum turpentine
Varnish (resin-based)	Protection and texture, potentially boiled with resin like pine or frankincense	Dammar or synthetic resin varnish
Pigments for 'phantasmagorical' hues	To achieve the distinctive, non-naturalistic coloration characteristic of his mature style	Mixtures of ultramarine, vermilion, lead white, and earth tones, potentially with unusual tints

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting, allowing for the 'greater flexibility' and 'richer and denser color' that oil offers (Source 6). While specific priming recipes for this exact work are not detailed in the sources, El Greco’s practice involved working on canvas or wood panel. The surface should be smooth enough to allow for the interweaving of form and space, a key innovation of his mature works (Source 2).

underdrawing

Sources do not explicitly detail El Greco’s underdrawing methods for this specific work. However, given his 'studied effort to acquire a freedom of style' and the 'seemingly careless-in-execution' appearance of his mature works, the underdrawing was likely loose and expressive rather than rigidly precise (Source 2). It may have served as a guide for the dramatic gestures and elongated forms rather than a strict blueprint.

underpainting

El Greco’s technique likely involved layering, a key advantage of oil painting (Source 6). The underpainting would establish the tonal values and the 'modifications of the light on the model' (Source 1). Given his interest in the 'inner light' of figures, the underpainting might have been used to establish the luminous quality of the saints, potentially using thinner washes to allow underlying layers to influence the final color through simultaneous contrast (Source 1, Source 2).

color palette

Vibrant, non-naturalistic hues

Likely includes ultramarine, vermilion, lead white, and earth tones, mixed to create 'phantasmagorical pigmentation'

General use in this artist's palette to achieve dramatic spiritual emotion and otherworldly effects

Complementary contrasts

Pairs of colors opposite on the color wheel, adjusted for tone

To create visual tension and highlight the 'modifications of tone and of colour which they receive from contiguous colours'

Light tones

Lead white mixed with subtle tints

To depict figures carrying their own light or reflecting unseen sources, consistent with Neo-Platonic ideals

composition

The composition likely features exceptionally tall and slender figures, elongated to serve expressive purposes and aesthetic principles, disregarding naturalistic proportions (Source 2). The figures may be arranged to create a 'reciprocal relationship' between form and space, unifying the painting surface (Source 2). The gestures are likely 'tempestuous' and involve 'repeated twisting and turning,' elements of Mannerism derived from his Roman period (Source 4). The overall effect is designed to dramatize rather than describe, transferring spiritual emotion to the audience (Source 2).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the elongated figures with loose, expressive lines, focusing on dramatic gestures and twisting poses rather than anatomical precision.
Tip — Ensure the figures are taller and slimmer than natural proportions to achieve the 'perfect' form El Greco sought.
Mannerist elongation

underpainting

step 02
Apply thin washes of oil paint to establish tonal values and the basic light structure, emphasizing the 'inner light' of the figures.
Tip — Use the transparency of oil to allow underlying layers to influence the final color, leveraging simultaneous contrast.
Layering

first pass

step 03
Block in the main colors, paying attention to the 'modifications of tone and of colour which they receive from contiguous colours' (Source 1). Use vibrant, non-naturalistic hues.
Tip — Avoid naturalistic color matching; instead, focus on the emotional and spiritual impact of the color choices.
Chromatic framework

refining

step 04
Refine the forms and details, enhancing the 'tempestuous gestures' and 'strange attitudes' of the figures (Source 4). Ensure the interweaving of form and space is clear.
Tip — Check that the figures seem to carry their own light, reflecting the Neo-Platonic ideals.
Dramatization

finishing

step 05
Add final highlights and shadows, ensuring the 'devotional intensity of mood' is conveyed (Source 2). Apply varnish if desired for protection and texture.
Tip — The final look should appear 'perturbed' and 'violent' in its execution, reflecting a studied freedom of style.
Varnishing

varnishing

step 06
Apply a resin-based varnish to protect the painting and enhance the depth of color.
Tip — Use a varnish that complements the 'richer and denser color' of the oil paints.
Protection

critical techniques

Elongation of figures

El Greco characteristically elongated figures to serve expressive purposes and aesthetic principles, disregarding natural laws (Source 2).

Simultaneous contrast of colors

The artist likely used the law of simultaneous contrast to appreciate and imitate color modifications, ensuring that contiguous colors influenced each other’s perceived tone (Source 1).

Internal light

Figures are painted to seem as if they carry their own light or reflect light from an unseen source, linked to Christian Neo-Platonism (Source 2).

Mannerist gestures

Use of 'violent perspective vanishing points' and 'strange attitudes' with 'repeated twisting and turning' and 'tempestuous gestures' (Source 4).

common pitfalls

→Attempting to paint naturalistic anatomy, which contradicts El Greco’s deliberate disregard for the laws of nature in favor of elongated, otherworldly forms (Source 2).
→Using naturalistic color matching instead of the 'phantasmagorical pigmentation' and dramatic contrasts characteristic of his mature style (Source 5).
→Over-refining the brushwork, which may obscure the 'seemingly careless-in-execution' quality that was a studied effort to achieve freedom of style (Source 2).
→Ignoring the 'inner light' of the figures, resulting in a flat or externally lit appearance rather than the luminous, spiritual quality El Greco sought (Source 2).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific pigment recipes used by El Greco for this particular painting are not detailed in the sources.
·The exact underdrawing technique (e.g., charcoal, chalk, ink) is not specified.
·The specific dimensions and framing of the altarpiece are not provided, though El Greco often requested lengthening for perfection (Source 2).
·Detailed iconographic elements specific to St. John and St. Francis in this work are not described in the sources.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color theory and simultaneous contrast in the first pass and refining phases

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — El Greco — part 8↗
- Mature works — applied to Elongation, internal light, dramatization, and freedom of style
Wikipedia bio — El Greco — part 1↗
- General biography — applied to Phantasmagorical pigmentation and Byzantine/Western marriage
Wikipedia bio — El Greco — part 3↗
- Italian career — applied to Mannerist gestures and twisting poses
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Part 1 — applied to Materials, layering, and varnishing