Write-up 1
	Description: What’s going on in this picture? (Please describe in details about themes of landscape or character, light, shape, color, brightness or texture.)，	Analysis: What do you see that makes you say that? (Is it size, shape, focus, texture, line, space, unity, balance, movement, contrast, pattern, color tone, proportion/size or the relationship among them?)	Interpretation: What message did the author would like to share through this painting? How did you feel after appreciating this painting?	Judgment: What is your opinion about this painting? Does it achieve in expressing its message?
畫作名稱 : St. Paul by El Greco	The man, St. Paul, holding a sword on his right hand, picking a letter in his left hand slightly. His eyes are looking upward, like he's going to listen someone's speech.	The brushwork leaves many traces which lead to a antique feeling, with the dark and bright colors' contrast makes the paint more classic. Also, the colors bring the silence into the whole work, contribute to a dignified feeling.	I think the paint record the scene when St. Paul received the letter, he carefully listened to the messenger and ready to throw the letter out. St.Paul might be a personality man. I feel St.Paul is a serious person.	I'm not sure what it want to say but I think the paint wants to describe St.Paul's characteristic.

Introduction

Artist: El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), Greek (active Italy and Spain), 1541–1614

Year: 1598–1600

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 27 1/2 x 22 in. (69.9 x 55.9 cm)

framed: 27 3/4 x 22 1/4 in. (70.5 x 56.5 cm)

“I, Paul, am God’s slave and Christ’s agent in promoting the faith among God’s chosen people, getting out the accurate word on God and responding rightly to it. My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago and he doesn’t break promises!” And when the time was ripe, Paul went public with God’s truth. “I’ve been entrusted to proclaim this Message by order of our Savior, God himself. Dear Titus, my legitimate son in the faith: Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!” (from Paul’s letter to Titus, the Book of Titus in the Bible.)

Born in Crete, El Greco worked in Venice and Rome before settling in Toledo, Spain. There he produced several series of paintings that represented Christ’s apostles as single, half-length figures. His Venetian training can be discerned in the loose brushwork and lush color. By the end of the 16th century, El Greco was renowned for his brilliant color, distinctive presentation, and the elongated proportions of his figures.

Analysis

Paul was one of the apostles doing ministry and establishing churches in the first century. According to the Book of Acts and the Book of Titus in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, Paul’s footsteps were once imprinted on Crete Island, where the painter El Greco was born.

Although the only description of Paul’s image we have from the Bible is “… in person he is unimpressive,” (2 Cor 10:10 NIV), El Greco made it impressive by his unique depiction of a tortuously elongated proportion as well as the use of luminous colors.

We see that Paul’s right hand holds his sword while his left hand reveals a Greek inscription on the paper he holds. It reads, “To Titus, ordained first Bishop of the Church of the Cretans”, a reference to Paul’s letter to Titus.

We can sense the special proportion of the figure even from the half-body portrait picture. Paul’s forehead is presented as almost half the portion of his entire head, which is not common to see in real person; and the hands of the apostle seemed irregularly thinner and long. Some say that the elongated proportion might be from the elongated perspective of the painter. Hundreds of years later, we are unable to know whether El Greco had ever suffered an eye condition, or it was just his way of depiction.

Back to the portrait of Paul from El Greco’s heart, we would all agree that the face doesn’t seem strict or aggressive at all. The dark eyes gazing forward, perhaps towards the believers in Crete, are filled with gentleness, mercy, even sorrow, possibly flowing from a shepherd’s heart.

We wonder what kind of emotions El Greco was trying to express while painting this. Paul was believed to be the first minister to bring the Gospel to Crete. Titus, as Paul’s spiritual son, was to be ordained to shepherd the church in Crete And El Greco, the painter who is known to present his Cretan identity in signature – Crete the island, has been a significant connection as well as the core of this painting.

Write-up 2
	Description: What’s going on in this picture? (Please describe in details about themes of landscape or character, light, shape, color, brightness or texture.)，	Analysis: What do you see that makes you say that? (Is it size, shape, focus, texture, line, space, unity, balance, movement, contrast, pattern, color tone, proportion/size or the relationship among them?)	Interpretation: What message did the author would like to share through this painting? How did you feel after appreciating this painting?	Judgment: What is your opinion about this painting? Does it achieve in expressing its message?
畫作名稱 : St. Paul by El Greco	In the painting, there is a man with a sword in his right hand and a letter in his left hand. His fingers are long and his gestures are light. When you look closely at his appearance, you can see his eye-catching beard, thin face, a focused and slightly mercy look set in the sunken eye sockets, and a strangely wide forehead.	The brushwork leaves many traces which lead to an antique feeling, with the contrast of dark and bright colors makes the paint more classic. Also, the color tone bring the silence into the whole work, contribute to a dignified feeling. The author depict his character by using a tortuously elongated proportion, which lets the man seems to be different from normal people and create the unique of the painting.	The author uses the letter in St. Paul's hand to link to the geographical relationship with Titus, so as to share the state of mind that his hometown retains the sacred breath, and leave a record for his piety and admiration for St. Paul. I see how much the influence the saint could make and the believers' identify with his hometown and faith.	Although the painting didn't show me that much items or informations, I still can observe the most critical thing, the letter and the sight. I think the author did a nice expressing.