Saint Francis in Meditation with Brother Leo

The figure of Saint Francis of Assisi gained popularity during the Catholic Reformation due to his focus on penitence and religious devotion. In this painting, El Greco references Saint Francis's last month of his life, which he spent in isolation with his assistant, Brother Leo. Saint Francis is shown holding a skeleton, meditating on death and its repercussions. El Greco displayed the influence of his Venetian training in his use of dry brushstrokes to create a coarse texture for Saint Francis's clothing, a reference to Franciscan belief in the ideal of poverty.