The Marriage of the Virgin 1600

The Marriage of the Virgin was painted by El Greco, sometime between 1600 and 1614, probably in Toledo, Spain. Here, the artist depicts Mary’s marriage to Joseph. What strikes me is the way Greco renders the scene with such solemnity. It's as though he wishes to convey the theological weight of the event. He does this by making his subjects wear stylized robes and he places them within the confines of a church. El Greco’s work emerges from the specific context of late 16th and early 17th century Spain, a society steeped in religious fervor. It was a culture dominated by the Catholic Church, still reeling from the challenges posed by the Protestant Reformation. Artists such as El Greco were enlisted to reaffirm the spiritual authority of the church through the use of striking visuals. The social historian can explore archival records, theological tracts, and other period documents to gain further insight into the relationship between the artist, the church, and Spanish society.