Volunteer Artwork of the Month

The National Gallery of Ireland is proud of its panel of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers.

Volunteers play an important role in many areas of the Gallery, from welcoming our visitors as they enter the Gallery to showing that anyone can be an artist in the Creative Space. They ensure that the Gallery is consistently offering an outstanding visitor experience. In return, Gallery volunteers deepen their knowledge of art, develop a variety of skills, meet like-minded art enthusiasts, and more. Our volunteers are often the first point of contact for people who come into the Gallery. As part of a new series, we're asking our volunteers to share the artwork they tell visitors not to miss when exploring the Gallery for the first time. 

Sophie Deering chose Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata by El Greco (1541-1614). Scroll down to read more. 

El Greco (1541-1614), Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, 1590-1595. Photo © National Gallery of Ireland.

What do you like about this artwork? Does it have any personal significance for you?

I have always appreciated works by El Greco. He is an artist who followed his own creative sensibility, regardless of trends of the time  As I go up to the third floor of our Gallery and find myself among Baroque and Renaissance masterpieces, his style of painting stands out so much that I’m always interested in thinking about how his work was understood in his time, and how he inspired and influenced modern artists like Picasso and Cézanne. 

By the end of the 19th century, the achievements of El Greco had been virtually forgotten by the establishment; however, painters like Picasso were looking for new ideas, new ways of representing the world. I think what Picasso valued above all in El Greco was the freedom that the artist personified, which is something I have always admired in him, too. To me, Cubism seems to have been born with El Greco, from whom, I think, Picasso took a certain conception of space, of colour and particularly, of distortion. El Greco’s way of handling paint was something that only began to be appreciated in the 19th century. In this depiction of Saint Francis of Assisi, he layers patches of coloured brushstrokes, rather than relying on lines to define the form and provide depth. His tones range from pure white to deep blue, and the way he plays around with the clouds is completely abstract.  

Thank you, Sophie! Find El Greco's painting hanging in Room 27 the next time you visit us.

You can read more about the Gallery's Volunteer Programme here. 

Please note that we are not currently seeking volunteers - our next callout will be in late 2026.