Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino - rte

El Greco
Fray Hortensio Félix Paravicino, El Greco, 1609
By ELIZABETH ELLIS 


In his earlier style of painting, El Greco depicts the Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino, a famous poet and orator. It is one of his more stylized portraits, showing Paravicino head-on, his head tilted slightly to give an air of superiority with his books balanced on his hip. El Greco adds warmer tones of brown and red rather than focusing solely on colder blacks, as seen in his earlier portraits. The warm tones from the background and his books adds the glow in his skin and makes him seem more lifelike. 

The body language in the portrait and El Greco's use of rough strokes and shadows in the clothing and hair add to the emotional drama of the painting. El Greco is only beginning to develop his style with this portrait. We can start to see the emergence of his later glossy and thick painting style with the slight smudging of color around Paravicino's head and shoulders, giving his a slight glow. 

El Greco is also becoming more talented in his use of whites, making the white of Paravicino's collar brighter and highlighting his face so that the contrast between the black and white is sharper, in contrast to the rough off-white of his robe. His use of white gives the impression that the two white cloths are different types of cloth. El Greco is only starting to develop his style and talent as a painter with the portrait, as his human form is not quite lifelike, his painting style has not developed into the brighter and glossier technique he's well known for, and he has not yet pushed into more religious subjects. Still, El Greco's talent as a painter comes through in this portrait with its emotional depth seen in Paravicino's face. 
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Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino

Aaron Dupuis
El Greco, Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino, 1609

Most of El Greco's portraits lack discernable features in the background. It is not unusual that he limits his color palette in Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino to white, black, and brown. And though that left wrist looks mighty odd as it seems not to have an arm attached, it still is not what makes the painting stand apart. The strange thing about Fray Hortensio, a portrait of Hortensio Felix - a poet, friar, and friend of El Greco's - is the way in which Hortensio is portrayed within the context of his chair and robe.

With the exception of his Portrait of a Cardinal and Fray Hortensio, El Greco seems to rely on the face to reveal the personality of his subjects, ignoring or simply excluding the rest of the body. His subjects are poised, proper, and still. Even Portrait of a Cardinal depicts the Cardinal in a pose that reflects his high standing in the church. Hortensio, however, seems on the verge of slouching in his seat, casually lounging as his portrait comes to life, stroke by stroke. His body looks frail and lost in the great sea of his friar's habit. His pose does not suggest his fame or importance.

Yet still he sits, smugly gazing back at the viewer with dark, piercing eyes. His strength lies not in his stature. Rather, he makes himself a giant in the intellectual arena. At his side he clutches two books, likely the Bible and a book of poetry. The larger of the two dwarfs what the viewer can see of Hortensio's physique, but also reflects the power of his mind.

Interestingly enough, Hortensio's powerful mind, though it made him a staunch supporter of most arts, also led him to decry all nudes. He once went so far as to demand that the best of these should be burned for the good of society. The best of these would no doubt have included many of El Greco's most famous works. That's a poor way to repay a friend for painting you.

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