Portrait of Cardinal Tavera 1610

El Greco created this compelling portrait of Cardinal Tavera using oil paint on canvas. El Greco’s genius lay in his mastery of oil paint, which allowed him to build up layers of translucent colour. Notice the Cardinal’s vibrant red cape, the way it almost seems to glow, and the subtle highlights around his face. This wasn’t achieved with a single brushstroke, but through careful, incremental application of paint, a laborious process that required great patience and skill. The way El Greco handled his materials, and the time involved in this work, is quite revealing. It speaks to a society where skilled craftsmanship was valued, and where patrons like Cardinal Tavera could afford to commission such detailed, time-consuming works. Oil paint, so easily taken for granted today, was then a technology that enabled a very particular kind of visual artistry, intimately tied to the social conditions of its production. By focusing on the making of this portrait, we gain insight into its cultural meaning, and are reminded that even the most seemingly straightforward paintings are the product of material choices, skilled labor, and historical circumstance.