Follower of El Greco

Follower of "EL GRECO"; DOMÉNIKOS THEOTOKÓPOULOS (Candía, Greece, 1541 - Toledo, 1614).
"St. Francis of Assisi".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 60 x 39 cm; 61 x 81 cm (frame).
The present work, made by a follower of El Greco, reproduces the famous model of St. Francis of Assisi preserved in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, a painting that entered the collection thanks to the donation of Antonio Santamarina, who had previously acquired it from the Basque painter Ignacio de Zuloaga. In this particular case, the artist reduces the dimensions, focusing his interest only on the face of the saint.
The figure of Saint Francis responds faithfully to the archetype created by El Greco: the saint appears isolated, absorbed in an intimate spiritual experience, his face stylized and elevated in a contemplative attitude. This model, one of the most widespread and successful of the Cretan master, renounces the anecdotal narrative to focus on the mystical intensity of the character.
The stylistic language of the follower reveals a clear assimilation of Grecian traits: the elongation of the proportions, the vibrant treatment of the folds of the Franciscan habit and the dramatic contrast between light and shadow. Although the execution is more restrained than in the master's hand, there is a conscious effort to preserve the expressiveness and pathos characteristic of El Greco.