Christ driving the Traders from the Temple 1600

El Greco painted ‘Christ driving the Traders from the Temple’ using oil paint on canvas, a common medium at the time. The artist's technique gives the scene its emotional intensity. Notice how El Greco applied paint in long, fluid strokes, layering colors to create a sense of movement and light. These weren't just aesthetic choices; they reflect the cultural and social context of the time. Consider the figures: merchants and traders, engaged in commerce within a sacred space. El Greco uses visible brushwork to depict not just their physical forms, but the tension between the sacred and the secular. The energy in Christ's action comes through in the artist's own gestures. You can almost feel the urgency and outrage in each stroke. El Greco’s approach elevated the status of painting. By using the tools of his trade to challenge the status quo, he asserted the power of art to question and transform the world around us.