What is Laocoön (El Greco)?
{{italictitle}} {{Infobox artwork | image=El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) - Laocoön - Google Art Project.jpg | title= Laocoön | artist= [[El Greco]] | year= 1610–1614 | type= Oil painting | height_metric= 142 | width_metric= 193 | metric_unit= cm | imperial_unit= in | museum = [[National Gallery of Art]] | city = [[Washington, D.C.]] }} '''''Laocoön''''' is an [[oil painting]] by [[El Greco]]. It dates from between 1604 and 1614. It measures 142 × 193 cm (55.9 × 76 in). It hangs in the [[National Gallery of Art]], [[Washington DC]]. Laocoön is a [[myth]]ical character taken from the ''[[Aeneid]]'', a [[Latin language|Latin]] [[epic poem]] by [[Virgil]]. In the [[legend]], Laocoön was a Trojan priest who warned the Trojans not to bring the [[Trojan Horse|Wooden Horse]] into the city of [[Troy]]. This angered the gods protecting the Greeks. They caused serpents to rise from the sea to strangle the priest and his two sons. Laocoön and his sons are seen left and center in the painting. The figures to the right may be the Greek gods. The Wooden Horse is seen in the middle distance center. The city in the far distance is [[Toledo, Spain]]. El Greco was Greek by birth. He completely ignored the history and mythology of Greece in his work, except for this one painting. This picture is the only classical theme he ever painted.<ref>{{citation |last=Walker |first=John |year=1979 |title=The National Gallery of Art |publisher=Harry N. Abrams, Inc. |pages=52–53 |isbn=0-517-396041}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Laocoon}} [[Category:Spanish paintings]] [[Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC]] [[Category:1610s works]] [[Category:Paintings by El Greco]]