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El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) El Greco (painter) Greek, 1541 - 1614 Christ Cleansing the Temple, probably before 1570 oil on panel overall: 65.4 x 83.2 cm (25 3/4 x 32 3/4 in.) framed: 87.6 x 106.7 x 7.6 cm (34 1/2 x 42 x 3 in.) Samuel H. Kress Collection 1957.14.4 On View |
Object 1 of 8
At the center of a crowded throng, Christ wields a whip to drive money-changers, merchants, and beggars from the temple. Before the Counter-Reformation, when the church undertook to rid itself of heresy and improper practices, the biblical story was seldom depicted. This is the earliest of several versions El Greco made of the subject and was painted while he was in Venice. The confusing architectural setting and awkward poses of several figures show El Greco still assimilating the pictorial space of western-style painting. But it also indicates that he had adopted the rich colors and sketchy, unblended brushwork of his Venetian teachers. El Greco signed this painting, as he did throughout his career, with his name in Greek characters.
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