The Adoration of the Shepherds by El Greco (Interpretation and Analysis)

The Adoration of the Shepherds
Source: Museo del Prado

In this history of Western art, the painter El Greco stands out as one of the most unique artists of all time. I’ve written about El Greco many times on this blog. He was a visionary, a man who was ahead of his time in many ways. Although he worked in Spain during the sixteenth century, his work appears exceptionally modern to twenty-first century viewers.

His work is characterized by distorted, elongated figures and a strange, grey-toned color scheme. His style has a painterly quality that gives it an energetic aura. Although some aspects of El Greco’s style (a name that literally means the Greek, a reference to the artist’s birth place) are in keeping with the Mannerist movement, his paintings exhibit a singular style totally unique to the artist.

El Greco’s The Adoration of the Shepherds is particularly unusual. Although the adoration of the shepherds is a common motif in Christian art, El Greco’s interpretation of the subject stands alone. The adoration of the shepherds is typically a happy or even cheerful subject, albeit very grand and stately. El Greco’s version, however, has a different type of grandeur. There is something fierce and awe-inspiring in the piece. Like all of El Greco’s work, it is instilled with an energy that is frightening in its intensity.

Mary holds the Christ Child with Joseph by her side while the shepherds look on with expressions that contain a mixture of fear and shock. It is a night scene, black with swirling clouds. There is an aura of spiritual exaltation within the piece, which gives it tremendous visual impact and emotional power.

The Adoration of the Shepherds is El Greco’s last known painting, the final piece of art he completed before his death. It is a fine example of the unique and entrancing style he created, a fitting tribute to El Greco’s career.