El Greco

El Greco was an artist who lived in Spain for the latter part of his life. He originally aspired to be a famous Roman artist, but found no work there because he had vehemently criticized the work of Michelangelo. In Spain, he worked for various church leaders in the city of Toledo. He created The Burial of Count Orgaz (shown below) for a priest in Toledo to honor the life of a Count who had made significant financial contributions to the Church. Something unique about him was that he did not want his paintings widely displayed. He preferred for them to be seen only by a few. He was a Renaissance artist whose creations continue to be admired by people all over the world. El Greco lived to be 73. 

This is my favorite painting by El Greco because it makes me feel joyful about death. That probably sounds weird, but hear me out! At the bottom of the painting, there is a somber scene of a dead man surrounded by cardinals and friends. In the upper middle, angels and saints look down upon the funeral. At the very top, an ethereal being looks down on it all, opening his arms as if to welcome the soul into heaven. The message seems to be that if we live to serve God, He will welcome us into our kingdom. There are many religious symbols in the painting because the work was commissioned by the Catholic Church.