El Greco - La Santa Faz

La Fanta Faz or the Veil of Saint Veronica by El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) at the Goulandris Museum, Athens.

On his way to crucifiction Jesus Christ, carrying his cross, falls. A young woman driven by compassion, bends over offering him the veil she wears on her head. Jesus takes it, wipes away the sweat and blood, and then gives it back to her. Veronica is astonished to find that Jesus' face is miraculously imprinted on the piece of cloth, giving our painting its title. 

Based on this incident, the legend of St Veronica is born. It became popular in the 15th century and inspired many great painters, including Durer and Bosch amongst others. When El Greco decided to approach the subject of the Holy Face, he joined an already well-established tradition in iconography.

He painted several versions on the subject: in some he focused merely on Christ, while in others he included the veil. 

La Santa Faz, or the Veil of Santa Veronica, 1580s, (oil on canvas)

In this version the folds of the veil, the attachment points, the variations in the lighting, are all carefully rendered. The face of Christ seems to be almost floating on this moving surface and bathed in light against the dark backbround. This painting encompasses El Greco's entire aesthetic journey: it borrows as much from Byzantine art - his first education, in Crete - as from Western painting. 

The physical suffering and the pain of sacrifice are not visible and all the light in the painting seems to be emanating from Christ himself. The hollow cheeks, the long and narrow face and the almond-shaped eyes, typical of El Greco's work, confer upon Christ nobility and grace. A single drop of blood running down in the middle of his forehead symbolises the route to Golgotha.