“The Burial of Count Orgaz, from a Legend of 1323” by El Greco is considered to be the magnum opus of his unusual yet astounding artworks. Born Domenikos Theotokopoulos, El Greco (1541 – 1614) often painted religious scenes. He portrayed heaven in this work with chilly, swirling clouds and tall, ethereal saints, while depicting the figures on Earth with normal scale and proportion, rendered in exquisite portraiture. In the legend, St. Augustine and St. Stephen appeared to lay Count Orgaz in his tomb in reward for his generosity to the church. El Greco also included himself in this piece, immediately above the upraised hand of a member of the earthly gathering.

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