I begin with this statement to help provide context and content for this essay. In my opinion, like that of the great conceptual artist Sol Lewitt, many people misinterpret art, especially the art of the past. In this context, I also believe that each person is entitled to their own opinions and thoughts. I hope that as a reader you will accept my direct opinion found in this essay. It is my desire to compare and contrast the two pieces I researched through their formal characteristics, the symbols they contain, and the cultural origins of each work of art. I chose two paintings representing the same story, Christ adored at his birth. The first work, painted by Pietro Perugino in the years 1470 to 1473, is entitled Adoration of the Magi. The second painting is titled Adoration of the Shepherds and was painted by El Greco between 1612 and 1614. Although these two paintings depict similar scenes centered on the adoration of Christ, they both differ in their functional purposes, the symbols that they include, as well as their formal or stylistic characteristics. I first want to describe the formal characteristics of the two paintings. First, Perugino's painting was created for use as a functional altarpiece, and the cabinet it once fit into had the shape you see today (Figure 1). The paint used in this piece is oil and it is on canvas. The oil paint is mixed well and I don't see any visible brushstrokes. Because there is no great contrast between the shadows and the highlights, this painting seems quite flat to me, especially the fanciful background. The background appears so flat that it almost looks like the backdrop of a play. Ea...... middle of paper ......y and goal. The two paintings are similar in theme but quite different in the symbols they contain, their formal or stylistic characteristics, and their cultural origins and histories. Works Cited Caffin, Charles H. “The Art and Influence of El Greco,” Art and Progress, January 1911. .Grove Art Online “Greco, El [Theotokopoulos, Domenikos [Dominico; Dominic; Menegos]].” Oxford Art Online. Accessed March 13, 2014. http://www.oxfordartonline.com:80/subscriber/article/grove/art/T034199.Lewitt, Sol. Paragraphs on conceptual art. New York: Art Forum, 1967. Williams, George C. Pietro Vannucci called Perugino. London: George Bell & Sons, 1900. Williamsson, George C. The great masters of painting and sculpture: Perugino. London: George Bell & Sons, 1900.- - -. Master of Arts. El Greco. Boston: Bates Company and Guild, 1908.