Laokoon by El Greco

This fascinating mythological composition illustrates a unique incursion by the painter El Greco into ancient themes, departing from his essentially religious production. Conceived with a dramatic tension characteristic of Spanish Mannerism, the canvas gives body to divine punishment under the title of “Laokoon”. The work strongly expresses the feeling of human helplessness against celestial decrees through a highly expressive and tormented staging.

In the center of the canvas, a bearded old man lies on the ground, desperately fighting a monstrous serpent coiled around his naked body. To his left, a young man standing contorts in an ultimate effort to break the embrace of a venomous reptile. On the right side, two naked, elongated silhouettes observe the tragic scene with a mysterious impassivity, symbolizing divine witnesses. In the background, a solitary wooden horse moves towards the detailed ramparts of the city of Toledo, reimagined here as ancient Troy. The twilight sky, streaked with whitish and dark clouds, accentuates the pale complexion of the bodies and the unreal light bathing this arid landscape.

The creator bears witness to a prodigious craftsmanship in the distorted anatomical treatment and the fluidity of the pictorial touch. His mastery of oil painting is revealed in the transparency of the skin tones and the fantastic atmosphere enveloping the whole. His dramatic genius is brilliantly asserted.