Assumption of the Virgin

The Assumption of the Virgin is an oil on canvas religious painting by El Greco. Rendered in 1577-1579, this work served as the centerpiece of the altarpiece in Toledo's Santa Domingo el Antiguo church and was the first of nine such commissions for the artist in his 37-year-long career in the city. Crafted under the influence of Michelangelo, the grandeur of the painting's figures and its naturalistic style recall Italian sensibilities, while its composition closely mirrors Titian's Assumption in Venice's Basilica dei Frari. The oil depiction shows the Virgin Mary ascending, symbolizing her purity, while the astonished apostles surround her empty tomb. This artwork hails from the Mannerism (late renaissance) period onwards to panel painting.