Christ Driving The Money Changers From The Temple Analysis

It is tough to constantly live in the shadow of a legendary older brother. It is even harder trying to build a reputation as a legend without being compared to the person/People from the past. What does the little brother do when he is continuously compared to the perfect older brother? Little brother rebels. The art movement called mannerism is a reflection of the rebel little brother.
Mannerism emerged years after the high renaissance that was between 1510 and 1520. A time period regarded as an artistic and cultural decline due to the deaths of artistic masterminds Leonardo Vinci in 1519, and Raphael in 1520. Michelangelo did not pass away until 1564 but he had already completed his best known around the 1520’s. In order to stand out, mannerist

The painting medium is 41.9 x 52.4 cm. The subject matter is a reinvention of an incident from the bible where Jesus expels undesirables from the temple. He incorporates the biblical story then transforms it into a dreamy and chaotic scene. "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. It is written, he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a 'den of robbers." El Greco often references Raphael and Michelangelo in his works. El Greco employs the high renaissance technique chiaroscuro, or extreme contrast of lightness and darkness. El Greco’s color palette utilizes primary colors and warm golden tones. The vertical lines used in the painting work to draw the eye to Jesus who is the central figure. El Greco applied severe lighting to create a sense of the supernatural. This type of lighting effect was not uncommon in the mannerist

The tones in the work of art are rich and vibrant which gives a sense of warmth to the composition of the piece. Primary colors are employed in the garments and in the background in order to further create a sense of serenity. There are golden tones in the body of Christ. According to Harold Wethey, “The lighting effect is diffused, illuminating the exposed body of Christ in a divine, golden bath, with the angels' curls reflecting this tone. There is stark contrast between the areas of light and dark, creating a dramatic emphasis on the figure of