Ultima Cena

The panel is an early work by El Greco, painted during the time he spent in Venezia. The relationship with Venetian painting is apparent from the architectural setting and certain details depicted, such as the table utensils and the positioning of the traitor Judas in the foreground, shown from behind, isolated and in an unsteady pose. The rapid, nervous brushstrokes and elongation of some figures foreshadow the later development in Spain and the more celebrated achievements of the original artist in the early days of the Siglo de Oro.