Focus on this artwork and analyze the Style.
After his initial training as a Byzantine icon painter in his homeland Crete, El Greco studied in Venice and Rome, where he experimented with the Venetian "colorito" and Renaissance compositional techniques. However, El Greco moved to Spain in 1576, and he settled in Toledo in 1577 as a church painter. In Toledo, El Greco honed his eclectic style, becoming a leading artist in the Mannerist movement and inaugurating the Spanish artistic Renaissance. Both of these styles are evident within Laocoön, El Greco's sole painting of a mythological subject. While classical in subject, Laocoön reflects the political, religious, and artistic transformations of post-Renaissance society.
Although El Greco's intention and message are debated, Laocoön reflects a clear Mannerist influence. Mannerism, which emerged in Italy during the 1520s, reflected the religious turmoil of the Protestant Reformation. The chaos and spiritual uncertainty of the era caused Mannerist painters to reject the balance and proportionality of High Renaissance artists like Michelangelo and instead portray elongated figures. Mannerism reached its height with El Greco, as seen in the distorted, contorted figures of Laocoön and his sons and the hyper elegance of the gods on the right.
The infusion of intense religious themes, characteristic of El Greco's work during his Spanish Period, can be seen in Laocoön. While the painting may be an allusion to local tradition or a commentary on the Reformation, Laocoön contains an undeniable spiritual atmosphere. The torturous figures against the terrifying background convey an intense emotional atmosphere. The pairing of profound religious themes with Mannerist features would become a defining part of Spanish Renaissance art.
El Greco Renaissance Laocoön Spanish Renaissance Mannerism