The Entombment of Christ
El Greco·1570
Historical Context
The Entombment of Christ (c. 1568–70) in the National Gallery of Athens is an early work from El Greco's Italian period, the composition showing awareness of Venetian and Roman models for this subject. The placement of Christ's body in the tomb — supported by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, mourned by the Virgin and Magdalene — was a compositional challenge that El Greco met with arrangements derived from his study of Michelangelo's sculptural Pietà and Titian's painted treatments. The work's palette of deep blues, greens, and muted reds reflects the Venetian training that remained the foundation of El Greco's colorism throughout his career, even as his Spanish style departed radically from Italian norms.
Technical Analysis
The warm, Venetian-influenced palette and the tightly compressed figural group demonstrate El Greco's Italian formation, with strong chiaroscuro creating dramatic emphasis on Christ's body.
