Focus on this artwork and explain the Subject of the painting.
The painting's subject is taken from the Book of Revelation 6:9–11, where the souls of martyrs cry out to God for justice upon their persecutors on Earth. The ecstatic figure of St. John dominates the canvas, while behind him naked souls writhe in a chaotic storm of emotion as they receive white robes of salvation.
The upper portion of the painting was destroyed in 1880. It is believed that the lost portion may have depicted the sacrificial lamb opening the Fifth Seal. The lost upper painting may have also resembled another piece by El Greco, Concert of Angels. Many believe that the surviving portion depicts profane love, while the missing upper portion depicts divine love.
salvation El Greco martyr sacrificial lamb canvas in Book of Revelation Concert of Angels