The Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity (1577–79) in the Prado was painted as the apex of the altarpiece for Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo — El Greco's first major Spanish commission and the work that established his reputation in his adopted city. God the Father supports the dead Christ in the Pietà of the Trinity format, with the dove of the Holy Spirit descending above. The monumental scale, the Michelangelesque muscular figures, and the daring foreshortening of Christ's body announce El Greco's ambition to compete with the greatest painters of Italy on their own terms. The commission had been obtained through the patronage of Diego de Castilla, dean of Toledo Cathedral, whose connections opened the city's most prestigious churches to the Greek newcomer.

The muscular, Michelangelesque figure of the dead Christ and the sweeping celestial angels demonstrate El Greco's synthesis of Italian Renaissance anatomy with his own developing expressive style.