Artwork
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Man is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist El Greco. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the museum's permanent display of European masterpieces.
The painting Portrait of a Man by El Greco depicts an unidentified sitter whose direct gaze and austere expression convey a contemplative presence. The work's iconography centers on the figure of a man, rendered with the elongated proportions and dramatic chiaroscuro characteristic of the artist's late style, suggesting a focus on spiritual introspection rather than individual identity. Symbolic elements are minimal, allowing the sitter's posture and attire to underscore themes of dignity and inner resolve.
The composition was created in 1600 and measures 450.0 cm in height by 380.0 cm in width, reflecting the scale typical of formal portraits from this period.
The work is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the museum's permanent display of European masterpieces.
Technique & Style
El Greco executed Portrait of a Man in oil paint on a canvas support. The artwork measures 450.0 by 380.0 cm. As a portrait, its formal qualities center on the depiction of a male subject, aligning with the artist's established approach to the genre in 1600.
Overview
El Greco’s oil work titled Portrait of a Man dates to around the year 1600. The canvas presents a single figure rendered against an unadorned black background, a compositional choice that isolates the sitter and draws immediate visual focus to his face and attire. The painting is part of the collection of Denmark’s National Gallery, the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
Created at the turn of the 17th century, the portrait entered the Statens Museum for Kunst’s holdings in the early 20th century, though earlier ownership records are sparse. Its presence in a national collection underscores the museum’s commitment to representing El Greco’s later period alongside his more widely known religious compositions.
Artist & collection
Artist
Doménikos Theotokópoulos was born in 1541 in Candia (modern Heraklion), the capital of Venetian-ruled Crete, where he was trained in the post-Byzantine tradition of icon painting.
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