Oil on copper “Crucifixion” Flemish school, 16th century. XVII – Belgium
Extraordinary oil painting on copper made in the 17th century belonging to the Flemish School. It represents the moment of Longinus' spear during the Crucifixion of Christ, present on the Cross, accompanied by the two thieves. It is a complex composition, which requires enormous skill on the part of the author: he plays with two inverted triangles, the vertices of each being the foot of the cross and the head of Christ. In this way, the composition is distributed through deep diagonals that provide emotional tension to the painting. This scenographic taste is a characteristic present in the painting of the Flemish School.
This is the name given to the art that is developed in Flanders once separated from the Netherlands. Flanders is still under Spanish rule (Philip II) and embraces Catholicism, unlike Holland, where Lutheranism is established. Furthermore, at this artistic moment the traditional rivalry between Italy and the native Flemish tendency was broken, creating a unidirectional, unitary and international style: Baroque Painting. It will be Rubens, Flemish painter, one of the great figures.
In this complex composition each character is studied individually. The center of it is Christ, with a Michelangeloesque and very whitish anatomy, so much so that it illuminates the faces of the characters around him. Her purity cloth, tied with a rope, flutters in the wind. This is a calm Christ with four nails, who does not suffer. His face is serene despite the fact that the work depicts the precise moment of the last spear that the Roman Longinus, mounted on horseback, hits him with force.
In representations prior to the 13th century, the Virgin appears to the right of the cross and Saint John to the left. Starting in the 14th century, it became customary to group them on the same side. For her part, Mary Magdalene is next to the feet of Christ, she will wash them, perfume them and dry them with her hair.
On each side of Christ are the two evildoers (Acts of Pilate), also crucified. Gestas, the evil thief, to his left and with his head turned. Dimas, the good thief, looks at him seeking forgiveness. Both show exaggerated expressions of the pain and suffering they suffer in contrast to Jesus Christ. The two little angels near the good thief will lift their soul to heaven, which opens with an eclipse of the sun and moon.
To the right of the composition, soldiers cast lots for Christ's tunic. In the lower area, below the cross, a skull appears, a symbol of the hill of Golgotha, since it means "skull" in Aramaic. In turn, it symbolizes the triumph of the cross over death. There is, therefore, in this painting a taste for detail, for the small representation of objects and even for the anecdotal: characteristics of Flemish painting.
Although we can see the use of contour to create the shapes, it is true that the colors are vivid and vaporous. This free and loose color is an influence that Flemish painting from Venice receives. The color technique of Titian and Veronese is assimilated: interest in highlighting the qualities of the material, the pearly flesh and the sumptuousness of the dresses.
Relations between Castile and Flanders
Spain was one of the European territories that was most directly connected to the Northern territories. Economic and political reasons meant that these lands, since the last moments of the Middle Ages, depended on the Hispanic Monarchy or were in close connection with it. Furthermore, Catholicism is preserved in Flanders in contrast to the Lutherans of the Netherlands.
The art of the Flemish territories (Rubens and van Dyck) will continue to have a notable impact on Spanish painting in the 17th century, especially through the arrival of works in large quantities, often through the Court or figures linked to it. These imprints reached the most important cities of Castile, also through the trade of engravings and other artistic works.
In this sense, it is worth highlighting, in Valladolid territory, the collection of paintings by the Duke of Lerma in the Casa de la Ribera and in the convent of San Pablo in Valladolid. This set dates back to around 1612-1613 and created a model to be followed later.
Technique and support
The Flemish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries did not always paint their works on canvas or boards, but sometimes they used copper plates as a support.
Copper sheets were used because they offered an advantage for their pictorial technique: glazing. This consisted of the application of pigments prepared with drying oil, superimposed in thin successive layers until the desired tones were reached, creating lights and shadows in subtle transitions and giving depth to the works. The use of copper sheets for oil painting facilitated the preparation of the plate and the painting technique. This saving of resources allowed them to increase their production, allowing them to respond more quickly to the growing demand of the art market.
Sardon Farm
The origin of this copper is found in a private collection, from the Granja de Sardón (Valladolid). It is one of the oldest family farms in the province. Its history dates back to the donation that Doña Elo Ansúrez de Castro, granddaughter of the Count of Ansúrez, made to the monastery of Santa María de Retuerta of the Order of the Premostratenses in the year 1153. Since then it remained in the power of the monastery of Retuerta until that the Confiscation led to its judicial sale to Don Millán Alonso Barrio in 1839. Currently it continues to belong to his heirs, established since 1962 as a Public Limited Company. This is where its uniqueness comes from, as it has remained a physical and legal unit for at least 865 years. Today it is a modern agricultural operation located on the right bank of the Duero River in the municipalities of Sardón de Duero and Villabañez.
Bibliography
Payo Hernanz, R. Notes for the study of the incidence of flamenco painting in the first half of the 17th century in Burgos. The mark of Rubens and van Dyck. 1998.
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