THE BURIAL OF THE COUNT OF ORGAZ, EL GRECO
The burial of the Count of Orgaz is a painting painted by El Greco in 1587. The origin of this painting can be placed on the commission of Andrés Núñez de Madrid (Santo Tomé’s parish priest) to El Greco. Andrés Núñez commissioned him to paint a wall which would be situated in a lateral chapel of Santo Tomé´s church. Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo was the lord of Orgaz. Orgaz wasn´t a county until 1522. The lord of Orgaz was a devout Christian and he paid the works in Santo Tomé’s church in 1300. When he died in December in 1323, he indicated in his testament that all the priests should be paid with different things every year. After 200 years, Andrés Núñez de Madrid, Santo Tomé´s parish priest, realized that the inhabitants of the municipality didn’t follow the desires of the Count and he sued the
town of Orgaz. He won the trial in 1569 and he decided to use this money to perpetuate the memory of the lord of Orgaz for the future generations. Andrés Núñez de Madrid commissioned this painting to preside the chapel of the Count of Orgaz. On the 15th of March in 1586, the agreement was signed between the parish priest and El Greco, in which they decided that the painting would be painted in big proportions. It was specified in the following way: “in the canvas there must be a procession, and how the priest and the rest of the clergy were trying to bury the Count, when Saint Agustin and Saint Esteban came from heaven to bury him. Above them there must be a sky full of glory…” The painting represents both dimensions of human existence: On the lower part of the painting, we can observe death. On the upper part, we have a representation of heaven and eternal life. In the lower part, the centre is occupied by the Count’s corpse, which is going to be deposited inside the tomb. Some saints of heaven will execute this action: the bishop Saint Agustin and the deacon Saint Esteban. Apart from the Count of Orgaz, there are two important figures on this painting: El Greco, who invites us to participate in this mystery, and his son, who is pointing the central figure with his finger. Earth and heaven are united by Count Orgaz’s soul. His soul is represented as a fetus which is elevated to heaven by an angel, who will illuminate heaven. In the upper part, the painter describes heaven. Hope is found in Jesus Christ, who is wearing white clothes, luminous and glorious. He has the capacity of judging men and women in a merciful way and He does it with serenity, and his right hand orders Pedro the apostle, to open heaven doors, so that Orgaz’s soul can enter there. Virgin Mary takes him in. The blessed ones look at Jesus Christ in adoration.
RENAISSANCE PAINTING El Greco used oil on canvas to paint a big dimensions painting. This painting can be included in the Renaissance era because it fulfils many of the common characteristics used in that period. The painting includes artificial lights: the celestial part is specially illuminated. In the earthly part, the body of the Count and the saints are more illuminated than the others. We can find also an enlargement of the figures: El Greco took this resource from Michelangelo and from Tintoretto and Parmigianino, painters of the Venetian School. It consists in enlarging figures, looking for beauty. It’s very common in the Renaissance period.
Short figures: This resource comes from mannerism. It establishes equilibrium, harmony, etc. There is also use of “serpentinata” figures. Influenced by Michelangelo, El Greco reflected on this painting an anatomic study of human bodies in order to represent beauty. There is “Horror vacui” in the composition: this is another characteristic from Mannerism. The purpose is to fill all the picture space. For example, in the celestial part, there are a lot of characters that completely fill the scene. He used exotic and cold colours. On the inferior scene there is darkness, night, and on the superior part is luminous and splendorous. The inferior part is illuminated in the bright colours he used in the clothes of the saints. There is a big contrast and in that part we can appreciate the Venetian style, and on heaven he used cold hues. On the lower part black, white and gold colours dominate, and red violet, green and blue. On the upper part there are blue, yellow, grey and white hues. The application of colour is also different, because at the inferior part there are shaped figures and at the upper part every figure is more diffuse. There are figures in movement. It’s a characteristic of Mannerism widely used by painters of this style. Michelangelo used it. Reflecting movement was a way of representing beauty. In conclusion, El Greco is a mannerist painter influenced by Michelangelo on one side, and by the Venetian School on the other side. MEANING. The painting tries to transmit us a truth: men and women have been born for life, and even in their way towards the death, they are not alone, they are accompanied by Jesus Christ and by the Virgin. It’s a hope message, the hope of the Good News. It presents a beatific vision of Heaven in all its splendour. It means that souls, when they die, they go out of the body and they go to the afterlife. They will be judged by God, and He will determine who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. In the same way, the Virgin and the Angels serve as intermediaries, “helping” the soul to rise up, to be able to be integrated in heaven with the rest of the people who live there.
LAURA MUÑOZ DÍAZ-MECO 3º ESO A