I open with this statement to help provide the context and content of this essay. It is my opinion, like that of the great conceptual artist Sol Lewitt, that many individuals misinterpret art, especially art from the past. Related to this, I also believe that every person is entitled to their own opinions and thoughts. I hope that you, as a reader, will allow my direct opinion contained in this essay. It is my desire to compare and contrast the two pieces I have pursued through their formal characteristics, the symbols they contain, and the cultural background of each artwork. I chose two paintings depicting the same story, Christ worshiped at his birth. The first work, painted by Pietro Perugino in the years from 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 both of these paintings depict similar scenes centered on the adoration of Christ, they both differ in their functional purposes, the symbols they include, along with the their formal or stylistic characteristics. I would like to first describe the formal characteristics of both paintings. First, Perugino's painting was created to be used as a functioning altarpiece, and the furniture it might have fit into once had the shape you see it now (Figure 1). The paint used in this piece is oil and is on the canvas. The oil paint is blended well and there are no visible brush strokes that I can see. Since there isn't much contrast between shadows and lights, this painting seems rather flat to me, especially the whimsical background. The background appears so flat that it almost looks like the backdrop of a theater show. Each... half of the card... and the purpose. Both paintings are similar in theme but quite different in the symbols they contain, in their formal or stylistic characteristics and in their cultural and historical background. 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; Dominikos; Menegos]].” Oxford Art Online. Accessed 13 March 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 known as Perugino. London: George Bell & Sons, 1900.Williamson, George C. The great masters of painting and sculpture: Perugino. London: George Bell & Sons, 1900.- - -. Masters in Art. El Greco. Boston: Bates and Guild Company, 1908.