El Greco - The vision of Saint John

• Title: The vision of Saint John
• Artist: El Greco (1541-1614)
• Date: c.1608-14
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 225 × 199 cm

The “Vision of Saint John” is a fragment from a large altarpiece commissioned for the hospital of Saint John the Baptist in Toledo. It depicts a passage in the Bible’s Book of Revelation- "the souls of martyrs for the "word of God" appeared and cried out for vengeance. They are given white robes and told to rest until the martyrdom of their brothers is completed". El Greco's dramatic and expressionistic style found great appreciation by the 20th century and the canvas was iconic for artists such as Picasso, who used it as an inspiration for “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”.