''Saint Peter'' is a 1608 oil on canvas painting produced by
El Greco
Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...
in Toledo towards the end of his life. It is now in the
Monasterio del Escorial near
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
.
It shows
the apostle
''The Apostle'' is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Robert Duvall, who stars in the title role. John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, Walton Goggins, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, Miranda Richardson, and Billy Joe Shaver also ...
standing atop a mountain holding a set of keys, referring to Christ's commission to Peter as "the rock upon which I will build my church. I will give you the
keys of the kingdom
The keys of the kingdom is a Christian concept of eternal church authority. Christians believe it was established in the 1st century AD, initially through Saint Peter, then through the rest of the 12 Apostles. The latter, continuing with the ear ...
of heaven." (Matthew 16: 18-19). The heavy drapery and the disproportion between the head and the body are typical of the artist.
See also
*
List of works by El Greco
El Greco was a Crete, Cretan-born Painting, painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. El Greco left his birthplace for Venice in 1567, never to return. El Greco's three years in Venice profoundly influenced his style. In 1577, he ...
Bibliography
* ÁLVAREZ LOPERA, José, ''El Greco'', Madrid, Arlanza, 2005, Biblioteca «Descubrir el Arte», (colección «Grandes maestros»). .
* SCHOLZ-HÄNSEL, Michael, ''El Greco'', Colonia,
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...
, 2003. .
External links
*
{{El Greco
category:1608 paintings
El Greco
Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...
Paintings by El Greco
Spanish royal collection
Paintings in El Escorial