Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (c. 1610-14), in the Museo del Prado, is a late treatment of the arrow-pierced saint with the elongated proportions and visionary luminosity of El Greco's final style. Sebastian's combination of physical beauty and spiritual ecstasy made him one of the most frequently painted saints in Italian art, and El Greco's late version brings his uniquely personal expressionism to this familiar subject. The painting demonstrates how El Greco's art became increasingly dematerialized in his final years, the physical body dissolving into pure spiritual energy.

The elongated figure and dynamic drapery are characteristic of El Greco's extreme late style. The arrows and the saint's body create angular rhythms across the canvas, while the palette of cool blues and warm flesh tones generates spiritual intensity.