The Burial of Count Orgaz

“The Burial of Count Orgaz” analysis

The Burial of Count Orgaz is a painting by famous renaissance artist El Greco. The painting is sixteen by eleven feet and was drawn with oil on canvas. The painting depicts a burial scene of Count Orgaz and a heaven scene with Christ above them. This painting is the most intriguing for El Greco’s use of two focal points. In El Greco’s career The Burial of Count Orgaz is widely accepted as his greatest work. In describing the painting itself it is divided into two sections, one being a burial scene of Count Orgaz in the lower half portion of the artwork, and a scene of heaven with Christ and the saints swirling overhead among thin silky clouds. The two distinct sections of this artwork give the painting two focal points, which the eyes are drawn towards. The section of the artwork depicting heaven has Christ as a focal point, he is centered at the very top of the painting with virtually every figure around him looking up with some motioning towards him. Christ is dressed in white robe, and the figures surrounding Christ vary from Saints to musicians, angles, multitudes of followers, and the Virgin Mary. The figures all seem to be swirling among silky clouds around Christ which gives each figure a distinct position and proportion in the painting, some closer up and distinctive, other more further away and faded. The burial scene directly below the heavens has the Count Orgaz as the focal point and he is positioned near the lowest part of the painting and perpendicular to Christ. The mourners around the Count Orgaz are dressed in formal coats of black and all are similarly positioned in the background. The Count Orgaz himself is richly dressed in the foreground, in plates of black armor with gold ornations, and he is being lowered by two priests who are dressed in bright golden garbs with slight patterns of red. When looking at some of the elements of The Burial of Count Orgaz the first thing someone would notice is the