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The Vision of Saint John

ca. 1608–14
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 619
This work is a fragment from a large altarpiece made for the church of the hospital of Saint John the Baptist in Toledo. It depicts an apocalyptic moment at the biblical end of time, based on the book of Revelation (6:9–11), a subject perfectly suited to El Greco’s visionary palette and otherworldly forms. Many avant-garde painters studied El Greco’s canvas while it was in Paris between 1907 and 1909. Pablo Picasso was directly inspired by the dramatic figures in this work for his landmark painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907; Museum of Modern Art, New York).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Vision of Saint John
  • Artist: El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
  • Date: ca. 1608–14
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 87 1/2 x 76 in. (222.3 x 193 cm); with added strips 88 1/2 x 78 1/2 in. (224.8 x 199.4 cm) [top truncated]
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1956
  • Object Number: 56.48
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

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Christ Carrying the Cross, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Christ Carrying the Cross
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1577–87
Saint Jerome as Scholar, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Saint Jerome as Scholar
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1610
Portrait of an Old Man, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Portrait of an Old Man
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1595–1600
Saint Andrew, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Saint Andrew
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1610
Christ Healing the Blind, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Christ Healing the Blind
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1570

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