Artibus et Historiae no. 28 (XIV)
1993, ISSN 0391-9064Up
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MAREK ROSTWOROWSKI - El Greco's Laocoön: An Epitaph for Toledo's Comuneros?
The painting Laocoön of c. 1610 (National Gallery of Art, Washington) is a famous anomaly in El Greco's oeuvre: at no other time did he paint a scene from pagan mythology, and he rarely attempted moralizing allusions. Instead of seeking links which the artist never intended, it could well be more rewarding to consider the presence of the fortified town in the background. This is Toledo, the city with which El Greco's life aan work were closely bound. The interpretation proposed here is that he may have been commissioned by its citizenry to commemorate a stormy chapter in the city's past, in the guise of an ancient myth.
If the true subject of the painting is the doomed uprising against imperial rule which began in 1520, some of the naked figures may perhaps be identified as rebel leaders, and the Trojan horse in front of the town gate may symbolize the treachery with which the enemy gained entry into Toledo by signing a treaty that was favorable to the besieged insurgents, but which was soon ignored. The tragic consequences for the comuneros were a vivid historical memory for the proud inhabitants of El Greco's adopted city.
