The “Stigmatisation of St. Francis” is an oil on canvas painting by El Greco dating back to around 1600, during the Mannerism period, also known as the Late Renaissance. The artwork measures 93 x 48 cm and falls within the genre of religious painting. Currently, this piece is housed in the Museo Cerralbo in Madrid, Spain.
In the artwork, we see an image of St. Francis of Assisi experiencing the stigmata, a miraculous phenomenon where a person bears wounds resembling those of Christ from the crucifixion. St. Francis is depicted in a state of religious ecstasy, with his eyes looking upward towards a beam of divine light from which the stigmata appear to originate. His hands are outstretched while he’s draped in the brown habit typical of the Franciscan order, the robe loosely fitting and tied around his waist with a simple cord. Another figure, possibly a fellow monk, is on his knees to the right, witnessing this miraculous event with a hand raised in awe. The dark background enhances the dramatic effect of the light and focuses the viewer’s attention on the spiritual experience. El Greco’s distinctive style is evident through the elongated forms and the intense emotional expression captured on the faces.
