The Feast in the House of Simon
El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) and workshop
1611
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) and workshop
1611
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
The Feast in the House of Simon is a 1611 oil by El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) and workshop, a Baroque work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
The painting shows a scene of people eating and talking in a large room. It's interesting because the artist didn't paint the whole thing by himself. El Greco designed it, but his workshop, possibly including his son, helped finish it, which is why the heads of the figures look a bit different. You can learn more about this style by looking into the technique of chiaroscuro.
Although this painting features the bold highlights, elongated figures, and vibrant colors characteristic of El Greco’s late career, the artist enlisted his workshop to execute some parts of the scene according to his original design. The heads of the figures reflect the work of different artists, probably including the artist’s son, Jorge Manuel, a leader of the workshop in its later years. The fantastical architectural background is unlike any other by El Greco and may have been conceived by an assistant.
Possibly in the artist’s possession at the time of his death, 1614 [three versions of this subject were recorded in the 1621 inventory of all the goods owned by El Greco’s son, Jorge Manuel Theotocopoulos, who was his father’s sole heir; however, no work of this subject appears in El Greco’s own estate inventory; see San Román 1927]; possibly by descent to his son, Jorge Manuel Theotocopoulos (d. 1631), Toledo [the 1621 inventory of Jorge Manuel’s possessions, transcribed in San Román 1927, includes entries for three versions of this subject, listed as items 123–25].. Probably Guinea,…
Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress, June 1–November 1, 1933, cat. 172. Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress, June 1–November 1, 1934, cat. 72. Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Art in New England: Paintings, Drawings, Prints from Private Collections in New England, June 9 - September 10, 1939, cat. 62. Art Gallery of Toronto, Loan Exhibition of Great Paintings in Aid of Allied Merchant Seamen, February 4–March 5, 1944, cat. 30, as Christ in the House of Simon. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Diamond Jubilee Exhibition: Masterpieces of Painting, November 4, 1950 – February 11,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
El Greco and his workshop painted dramatic religious scenes in oil on canvas, blending elongated figures, sharp contrasts, and glowing colors.
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