EL Greco and The Disrobing of Christ

(3 – 5 sentences each)
After reading El Greco and viewing The Disrobing of Christ, answer the questions below.  When relevant, use direct quotations to support your answers. If you are stuck at any point, as is common with poetry, start with noting contrasts.
1.    In the poem, what is the attitude of the carpenter to the events happening around him? Give your evidence for this.

2.    In the painting, what seems to be the attitude of the carpenter? What is your reasoning for this? What might Birney have seen here to inspire his poem?

3.    In what ways do the poem and painting convey the same ideas?  In what ways do they convey different ideas?

4.    You’ve now read the poem and viewed the painting.  Consider aspects of the painting that had particular interest to Birney.  What did he see with “his creative eye” that may have been missed by most people?  Decide whether your focus of interest in the painting would have been the same as Birney’s if you had not first read the poem. Freely offer your comments after reflecting on this.

5.    Identify what you regard as the most meaningful contrast to take note of from this poem or story, or both – not merely drawing contrasts between poem and image but noting contrasts more generally, as art often does. In other words, what do you believe is important to walk away with, or what meaning do you see as significant, after your encounter with these creative works. Support your answer.