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| An Allegory (Fàbula) by El Greco, 1580-85. Photograph: National Galleries of Scotland |
AN ALLEGORY
By El Greco
Three faces are lit by a silvery flame. As they gather around its pale yet intense glow, all are held equally transfixed. A boy and man are fascinated by the light. So is a monkey, whose features are portrayed with great empathy. How does its mind compare with those of its human companions? More to the point for El Greco, perhaps, has it got a soul? For it is the light of divine revelation that fills them with awe. El Greco, born Doménikos Theotokópoulos in Crete in 1541, trained as an icon painter before travelling west and learning Renaissance techniques in Italy, settling eventually in Spain. This painting blazes with the mysticism of his Byzantine beginnings.
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