Death has been a popular subject throughout the history of art, and represented in a myriad of ways.  Courbet’s “The Burial at Ornans” was a new way to represent and old subject.  Ornans was a rural city in southeastern France that was Courbet’s hometown.

El Greco was a Greek painter who worked in Spain during the 16th century.  His painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz, represents a traditional burial scene.  How has Courbet “flipped the script”?  What is so revolutionary and different about the way death is represented in “The Burial at Ornans.”  Write an essay that compares these to paintings.

In your essay, consider the following questions:

How is the expereince of death represented differently in these two paintings?

How are the attendees of the funerals represented differently?

How is religion and spirituality represented differently in the paintings?