The Opening of the Fifth Seal by El Greco (Interpretation and Analysis)

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The Opening of the Fifth Seal by El Greco
The Opening of the Fifth Seal
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Today, I want to talk a little more about Mannerism. Yesterday, I wrote about the Madonna with the Long Neck, which is a painting that’s a bit weird. But, if the Madonna is weird, the painting I’m going to talk about today is positively bizarre.

The Opening of the Fifth Seal is a painting by El Greco, a Greek artist who was born in Crete but spent most of his professional life in Spain, particularly Toledo. I had the privilege to see a few of his paintings there when I visited in 2012.

El Greco’s style is extremely distinctive and is definitely an example of Mannerism at its most extreme (although I think a lot of people would argue that he’s not purely a mannerist painter). In many ways, his work looks extremely modern, and it’s easy to see the influence of El Greco in the work of Picasso and Dali. The Opening of the Fifth Seal is a good example of his style. It features elongated, distorted figures and an otherworldly color palette. Like the Madonna with the Long Neck, this painting is unsettling. Although I certainly find it interesting, I wouldn’t say that I like this painting. It’s difficult to look at for me, but, in many ways, that’s the point.

In fact, It’s meant to evoke an emotional reaction. According to Wikipedia, “the subject is taken from the Book of Revelation (6:9–11), where the souls of persecuted martyrs cry out to God for justice upon their persecutors on Earth. The ecstatic figure of St. John dominates the canvas, while behind him naked souls writhe in a chaotic storm of emotion as they receive white robes of salvation.” In this context, the painting asks the viewer to consider their own spiritual life and think about how they will fair on Judgement Day.

The painting also owes something to the Baroque style, which was characterized by an interest in visual drama, heightened emotion, and experimentation with light. In El Greco’s work, this style can be seen as a reaction to the Protestant Reformation. Especially in Spain, the Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation by encouraging a new brand of affective religiosity that promoted emotion as a means of religious experience and a resurgence in mysticism.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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