El Greco

Study for St John the Evangelist and an Angel

1596-99 Pen and pale-brown ink and wash on off-white paper, 337 x 210 mm J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles This is one of he very few drawings universally accepted as by El Greco. It is a study for the Crucifixion in the Prado, Madrid. It shows the figure of St John the Evangelist, who in the painting is stationed at the foot of the cross on the right side looking up at the crucified Christ. The pose and the gestures are virtually identical. The principal difference is in the figure of the angel, who in the drawing is very close to the saint, whereas in the painting the figures do not overlap at all

ID: 62293