List of famous Spanish Renaissance paintings, listed alphabetically with pictures of the art when available. The Spanish Renaissance period was a cultural awakening in the art world, so it's no surprise it produced some of the most historic paintings in the history of the world. The works of art listed below are some of the most popular Spanish Renaissance paintings, so most of the artist's names who created these works will be very recognizable. Renowned paintings from the Spanish Renaissance period are showcased in museums all around the world, so save yourself an expensive vacation by simply scrolling through this list.
List pieces range from Laocoön to Saint Martin and the Beggar.
This list answers the questions, “What are the most famous Spanish Renaissance paintings?” and “What are examples of Spanish Renaissance paintings?”
The Adoration of the Shepherds is a painting of the traditional subject which was painted during the last year of El Greco's life. The painting is a smaller version of a work which the artist made to hang over his own tomb in the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. El Greco's signature, in Greek, may be seen in the lower left corner.
Extreme distortion of body characterizes the Adoration of the Shepherds like all the last paintings of El Greco. The brilliant, "dissonant" colours and the strange shapes and poses create a sense of wonder and ecstasy, as the shepherd and angels celebrate the miracle of the newly born child. The infant Christ seems to emit a light which plays off the ...more
El caballero de la mano en el pecho, variously translated into English as The Gentleman with His Hand at His Breast, Gentleman with his Hand on his Chest or The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, is an oil painting by El Greco.
Painted in Toledo around 1580, and on display at the Museo del Prado, it is the most famous of a series of secular portraits of unknown gentlemen, all of them dressed in black and wearing white ruffs, against dark backgrounds.
Some authors suggest it may be a portrait of Juan de Silva y Ribera III, Marquis of Montemayor and warden of the Alcazar of Toledo. The artist Rupert Shrive and the historian Alex Burghart have also argued that it may be a self portrait.
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is a painting by El Greco, a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. Widely considered among his finest works, it illustrates a popular local legend of his time. An exceptionally large painting, it is very clearly divided into two sections, heavenly above and terrestrial below, but it gives little impression of duality. The upper and lower sections are brought together compositionally.
