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6. "ST. PETER" by EL GRECO

(An example of  The Grail Geometry employed by another Old Master)

"El Greco" (Domenikos Theotokopoulos, Greek Old Master painter, 1541–1614) painted much before Vermeer (Dutch Old Master painter 1632-1675), but the two had the complete command of the Grail Geometry in common -- if nothing more.   This painting of St. Peter (done in the 1610s) is typical of El Greco's religious works -- elongated and quite vertical -- almost to the point of bizarre distortion. But the Grail Geometry is not distorted -- and many and remarkable are the registrations of the features of this work with the lines, nodes, and angles of it.

An especially arresting feature is the bony finger of his right hand, pointing precisely at the intersection of the diagonals of The Tilted Square -- where El Greco has located St. Peter's heart. This is reminiscent of Vermeer's painting the pointing fingers of "The Astronomer" up and down in perfect registration with The Tilted Triangle. Another interesting feature is the use of the keys (of the kingdom of heaven) to establish the reference lines for the guiding pattern for this St. Peter -- a most powerful symbology!

The additional equilateral triangle of The Tilted Hexagram is often employed as a compositional guide. I have omitted the second triangle for the sake of clarity. (The enthusiastic viewer might well try adding the second triangle to see if El Greco positioned a few features in registration with it . . .  My prediction: one diagonal line of the resulting hexagram should go exactly through the tip of St. Peter's nose!)

This image of St. Peter appeared in The New York Times (Oct. 7, 2003) and in New Yorker magazine (Oct. 20, 2003) as an advertisement for a solo exhibition of the works of El Greco at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Oct. 7, 2003 through Jan. 11, 2004. The straight lines of the keys attracted my attention, and this proved to be the "hint" (similar to the Cupid's bowstring "hint" in Vermeer's "Lady Standing") that here is yet another painting composed on the "skeleton" of the "GG".

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Greek painters can have a sense of humor to equal that of the Dutch -- and a study of El Greco's paintings could yield as many "supernumerary" faces -- menacing, grimacing, leering, and guffawing -- as those appearing in the oeuvre of Vermeer (for those who have the facility to see and appreciate them!)  I see a big old face (above) that lightens up the heavy atmosphere of St. Pete's swaddling wrap . . . and below in "The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception" . . . do I see a bearded old Mercury man?

 Turn the image on its right side.  I see a determined, kicking bovine critter. Do you?

Who's the bearded one with that kicking leg between his teeth?

There are so many supernumeraries! Do you see the smiling birdie?  You think he's got a WORM in his mouth??  Who -- or what -- is lurking in that dark corner (upper left)?  And isn't that a horned owl . . . wearing a monocle!

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