When Opening of the Fifth Seal left El Greco’s Toledo studio around 1610, it was already missing its upper section—a mystery that has haunted scholars ever since. The painting’s dramatic, fragmented composition and unfinished state have fueled debates: was it cut down after the artist’s death, or did El Greco himself leave it incomplete? This uncertainty only adds to the work’s fascination, especially since it was rediscovered centuries later and became a touchstone for modern artists, including Picasso, who saw in its wild brushwork and visionary energy a precursor to Cubism. The scene comes from the Book of Revelation: at the opening of the fifth seal, the souls of martyrs cry out for justice beneath the altar. El Greco captures the moment of their ecstatic appeal—figures in writhing motion, arms flung skyward, their bodies stretched and contorted as if reaching for divine mercy.

The lower half is a tumult of flesh: Saint John dominates the foreground, his blue robe swirling as he gestures upward, while behind him, naked souls twist in anticipation. The missing upper section likely depicted the descending robes of salvation, now lost, which would have completed the vision of heavenly reward. Compared to the serene order of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, El Greco’s vision is feverish and fragmented, emphasizing spiritual longing over earthly clarity. Commissioned for the church of Saint John the Baptist outside Toledo, Opening of the Fifth Seal was one of El Greco’s last works, painted in the final years of his life.

After his death in 1614, the painting’s fate grew uncertain: it was cut down, possibly to fit a new location, and languished in obscurity until the early 20th century, when it was recognized as a key late work. Today, it hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, its raw energy and unfinished state a testament to El Greco’s restless vision at the dawn of the modern age. The painting stands as both a culmination of his career and a bridge to the art of the future.