The title, La Pietá, refers to the subject of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus. Pietás began in Germany in the 14th century and quickly spread to other parts of Europe. Typically, artists use sculpture for their Pietás, but Morales chose to paint the scene. Morales was known as “El Divino,” as most of his work was religious and included a range of Madonna and Childs, Passions, and other Pietás. As was common at the time, Morales chooses to have Mary’s hands in a fairly upright position with Christ’s body slumped on the floor. Morales's decision to exclusively include Mary and Christ as subjects as the painting defines this piece as a Pieta. If he had included any other New Testament figures, it would be considered a Lamentation. Painters took artistic liberties when painting Pietás because of the broad requirements needed. In Morales’s La Pietá, he chooses to beautifully but morbidly depict Mary’s anguish over her son’s death with his dramatic, surreal style of art.