In The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, how is the Assessments discussed?
Regardless of their different approaches in relation to the painting's influences, the Burial is unanimously celebrated by art scholars as a masterpiece. It is also regarded as the first completely personal work of the artist, the culmination of his first ten years of creativity in Toledo, initiating his mature artistic period, as well as the processes of spiritualization and dematerialization, which will continue in his later works. According to Lambraki-Plaka, the Burial is a landmark in the artist's career: "This is where El Greco sets before us, in a highly compressed form the wisdom he has brought to his art, his knowledge, his expertise, his composite imagination and his expressive power. It is the living encyclopedia of his art without ceasing to be a masterpiece with organic continuity and entelechy".The impressive depiction of prominent members of the Toledan society in the lower zone establishes Greco as an accomplished portraitist, with a profound knowledge of physiognomy and gestures. The chromatic harmony and the use of incredibly rich, expressive and radiant colors confirm his talent as a colorist, while the scenes depicted on the embroidered vestments reveal a gifted miniaturist. The overall composition with the innovative elements already mentioned—the peculiar synthesis of the real with the surreal, the negation of spatial depth and the impressive array of portraits—unveil all aspects of Greco's extraordinary art. Interpreting the remark of Francisco de Pisa in relation to the painting, that "there are always new things to contemplate in it", Schroth characterizes the Burial as an "inexhaustible source of instruction as well as pleasure".In his travel diaries of the Far East, Palestine and Spain, Albert Einstein characterizes the Burial as "a magnificent painting" and "among the profoundest images I have ever seen."
Palestine Francisco de Pisa painting Toledo El Greco miniaturist Albert Einstein portrait