St. Matthew (1610-1614)

El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) is the artist behind "St. Matthew", dated 1610-1614. Historical background, 1610-1614: The seventeenth century is the age of the Baroque, which favoured dramatic light, movement, and strong emotion in the work of painters in Italy, Spain, and Flanders. In Japan the Edo period began in 1603, and in China the Qing dynasty took power in 1644, both bringing new patrons and styles. Background on Religion: Christian art follows long-established iconography, such as the Madonna and Child, the Annunciation, and the Crucifixion. Buddhist painting, Hindu devotional imagery, and Islamic calligraphy and ornament each have conventions of their own. The catalogue places it in Religion. The format is portrait.

On onlly.art "St. Matthew" is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

Greek, 1540–1614

If you like the visual language of El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), explore more works by the same artist in our collection.