Laocoön

El Greco painted this dramatic scene between 1610 and 1614, near the end of his life. It depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons being strangled by sea serpents, punishment from the gods for warning Troy about the wooden horse.

What makes this painting extraordinary is its setting. Instead of ancient Troy, El Greco placed the scene before Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked. The city's distinctive skyline is unmistakable in the background. This bold anachronism transforms classical myth into a vision of divine judgment over contemporary Spain.

The elongated figures, eerie lighting, and apocalyptic atmosphere are hallmarks of El Greco's late style. The work the only mythological subject in his surviving work and hangs at the National Gallery of Art.