In this work the rather worldly Mary Magdalene of the earlier picture has been entirely transformed. Her sensuous beauty has been replaced by a meditative and spiritual expression. The Mary Magdalene who we see here symbolises the renunciation of earthly existence and a concentration on penance. This was an outlook that was given great importance by the Counterreformation. Note the inner tension and expressiveness of the saint’s face, which El Greco achieved by the asymmetrical and slightly distorted facial characteristics.