Zurbarán

 

Francisco de Zurbarán - Saint Casilda of Toledo, (1630-1635) detail

I'd had a taste of Zurbarán's paintings during visits to the National Gallery previously, and on my trip to Madrid (here), earlier this year and was struck by his obvious talents as a painter. The two versions of his Agnus Dei painting - a trussed up sacrificial lamb awaiting slaughter representing the body of Christ seen at both the Prado and the Palacio De Bellas Artes museums are just the most tender and magical paintings I'd encountered on my trip. The way in which the artist tenderly captures the texture of the lamb's fleece, and its vulnerable body, oblivious to its fate in its innocence, yet lying in a state of quietude were quite emotive. These were paintings that would have been commissioned from the artist by patrons for private devotion and contemplation. They left a lasting impression on me, and were but a taster for this retrospective exhibition back home in London at the National Gallery, which further underlines his skills as an artist. Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), was born in Fuente de Cantos, Extremadura and was a Spanish painter of the Baroque era recognised for his large religious paintings and smaller still life studies. He was known as the "Spanish Caravaggio" because of his similar use of the chiaroscuro technique. Zurbarán is thought to have been largely self-taught, but at the age of 16, he began an apprenticeship in Seville under the artist Pedro Díaz Villanueva. Seville would be his base for the majority of his life. During this period Zurbarán befriended his contemporary, Diego Velázquez, who was training nearby under Francisco Pacheco. Although born just one year apart, they developed their own approaches to painting, yet maintained a lifelong friendship. Zurbarán went on to meet Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, the artist he would compete with most for commissions. Together, these three significant artists exemplify 17th-century Spanish painting, producing rich and poignant works within the Spanish Golden Age. This period from around 1492 to 1659 saw a surge in Spanish political, intellectual, military, and creative expansion and output where the profits of global colonisation were used to commission writers, musicians, architects, and artists to create under patronage. Zurbarán gained most of his commissions as an artist from the Spanish church. Despite his work being likened to that of Caravaggio in terms of the treatment of light and the figure, Zurbarán never left Spain, so it’s highly unlikely that he ever encountered Caravaggio's work in person. What makes Zurbarán's work distinct is the sense of naturalism, relatively simple compositions, painting a single figure emerging from darkness without spatial devices, resisting the typical Baroque style of dynamic theatricality, instead painting figures with an air of solemnity and a sense of the meditative. One of my favourite rooms in the exhibition was that filled with large single portraits of the saints. Their figures emerge from voids of total darkness, evoking in the viewer a religious fervour as well as reflections on mortality and what awaits us beyond the unknowable blackness. The story of St Francis was a firm favourite with Zurbarán, and there are known to be at least 14 versions painted by him. Two are displayed here, the National's own version of the saint kneeling, and one from Lyon's Musee des Beaux-arts with the saint standing in the darkness of his tomb looking up towards God in devotion. They masterfully showcase Zurbarán's use of both chiaroscuro and colour and a sense of serenity despite the saints trials. Zurbarán began to make a name for himself in 1627 when he painted a series of works for the Dominican monastery of Saint Pablo in Seville, including The Crucifixion. The painting was acclaimed for its handling of light and form, convincing viewers it was a sculpture rather than a painting in the dim light of the friary. Jesus’ body is deathly pale with knocked knees and his head hanging limp. Zurbarán had a very keen eye and is clearly a superb renderer of ordinary details. The devil is indeed in the details here and the viewer is rewarded on close inspection of the paintings to take in the level of care and attention the artist has gone to in capturing the embroidered and satiny surfaces and textures of the sculptural fabrics especially the luminous loincloths in the crucifixions. Tenderly observed still lives or bodegóns as they are also known are another important aspect of Zurbarán's oeuvre these are much smaller than his large religious works but certain pieces still allude to the Virgin Mary with their depiction of a thornless rose. These intimate bodegóns are marvels. Through them the artist again reveals his skill at rendering the different surface textures of each object with the pitted, waxy sheen of lemon rinds, the broken skin and luscious sheen of pomegranates and their seeds, the delicate luminosity of flower petals, the hard reflection of light on a metal platter or spout of a ceramic jug. These are all rendered with the consummate, sure hand of a true master. It is clear that he revels in in the physicality of things. sadly no verified portraits of Zurbarán are thought to exist, but my final picture below The Crucified Christ with a Painter, is regarded by some critics as being a likeness of the artist casting himself as the model for St Luke who was both an artist and doctor. It was a real treat to have experienced more of Zurbarán's larger works here which I'd never seen before. Hopefully this exhibition will go some way to making Zurbarán more of a household name in the UK. It was a real pleasure to see one of those incredible Agnus Dei paintings again. 

Zurbarán

until 23rd August

The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

London

WC2N