El Greco was an excellent portrait painter, like his master Titian, his supporter Giulio Clovio, the miniaturist, as well as Tintoretto and the Bassano family, all of whom contributed to the final formulation of his painting. This study of a head turned slightly to the right and looking out from the canvas is painted with broad brushstrokes and is almost sketchy in its details, however, in its rendering the face, the spiky hair, the beard and the ear it shows the characteristics of completed works. It became evident at the time of its restoration (1990) that El Greco had sketched the head onto the canvas with a brush in this picture too. Around the silhouette the cleaning revealed such broad brushstrokes that they left many bare surfaces, thus following a typical sketchy technique. The depiction of a profound personality is perceptible, however, the way he grasped the figure, and therefore the impression of sketchiness, may be due to the vibrant, rapid technique characteristic of the later works.
This painting was considered to be a study or perhaps the surviving example of a lost apostle series due to its somewhat smaller size compared to the half-length format of the apostle series. Marianna Haraszti-Takács proposed that this was a self-portrait in apostle garb, which is supported by the meditative, personal representation of the image. While science has failed to identify any authentic El Greco self-portrait, mention can be made of a youthful self-portrait that can be seen in the painting entitled Christ Expelling the Merchants from the Temple (The Minneapolis Institute of Art) from 1570-1575. In the foreground next to Titian, Michelangelo and Clovio, the youth facing us in a self-assured manner may be the young El Greco. This suggestion is substantiated by the fact that his patron, Clovio, is resting his hand on the young man's shoulder. Assuming this is a youthful self-portrait, the Budapest head is not a self-portrait but is more closely linked to the pictures of the younger Saint James. Concerning the date of its origin, the period around 1600 seems the most likely, since it was at this time that El Greco painted such magnificent portraits as the one of the humanist monk Antonio de Covarrubias and his brother, the famous cleric Diego de Covarrubias, using the same technique as in the Budapest portrait.
- Title: Saint James the Less
- Creator: El Greco
- Date Created: ca. 1600
- Physical Dimensions: 49.5 x 42.5 cm
- Type: paintings
- Publisher: Museum of Fine Arts Budapest
- Rights: http://www.szepmuveszeti.hu/rights_and_reproductions
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Inventory Number: 9048
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Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
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