St. Francis receiving the stigmata 1571

Editor: This is "St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata," an oil painting done around 1571 by El Greco. The scene feels intensely personal, but also, with its stormy sky, overwhelmingly dramatic. What draws your eye, and how do you interpret the emotions El Greco's trying to evoke? Curator: The drama, yes, but not of stagecraft! More like the interior theater of the soul laid bare. El Greco… well, he had a way of tilting reality, didn’t he? The figures aren't just *in* the landscape, they’re *of* it – rocks and trees mirroring the saint’s raw vulnerability. It’s almost painful to look at, which, I suspect, is precisely the point. Look how the light spears down… divine intervention? Or the dawning realization of profound connection with something vast and unknowable? What do you think is happening with his companion over on the right? Editor: He looks overcome, shielding himself almost. The focus is totally on Francis and his divine moment. The light almost rejects the other monk. Curator: Exactly! He is there as a witness, and isn't even ready to process. Maybe El Greco paints Francis at the climax of agony and ecstasy intermixed. I imagine it's the price of empathy, that profound connection. What an artist to show us that pain with such… peculiar beauty, eh? Editor: Peculiar is right! It makes you wonder if witnessing the divine isn't all it's cracked up to be! Curator: Maybe the real miracle is feeling the pain of another so deeply that the sky opens. Food for thought!