The Burial of the Count of Orgaz

El Greco 1541–1614

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (1586) by El Greco. Its palette is led by stone (#645d4d, 20%) and black (#06050a, 18%), with accents of dark taupe and light gold. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, muted and warm.

Color note

Trained as an icon painter in Crete and then in Venice, El Greco kept the Venetian love of strong color but pushed it toward cold, acid tones: sharp yellows, greens and pinks against stormy greys.

Palette

#39312c MG 177 dark taupe 24.5% of canvas
#645d4d MG 175 stone 19.6% of canvas
#06050a MG 224 black 18.5% of canvas
#787662 MG 192 golden olive 16.8% of canvas
#bfbdbf MG 212 pale grey 12.5% of canvas
#af944a MG 038 light gold 8.2% of canvas

Color families

Brown 47%, Black 28%, Gray 19%, Yellow 4%, Green 1%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.45
Contrast: 0.67
Vividness: 0.023
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 250 cells
Hue range: 0.41
Focus: 0.13

Composition

53% of the visual weight is in the left half, 52% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.67 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 3% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 36% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1586
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 480.0 × 360.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo

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