Spanish school; early 17th century.
"Crucifixion".
Oil on canvas. Re-coloured.
It presents damages in the frame.
Measurements: 49 x 36,5 cm; 63 x 51 cm (frame).
In this representation of the expiring Christ that shows us a torso resolved through a naturalistic language, the cloth of purity and the extremities turned following classical models. Nails and thorns make the blood gush out, the intense red of which stands out against the sallow tone of the flesh tones, in the case of the feet. The tenebrist lighting and chromatic transitions model the body, giving the illusion of perfect volumetry, which testifies to an in-depth anatomical study. The composition, the bold iridescence of light and the rapid brushstrokes are very close in composition and language to Murillo's Christ Crucified in the Museo del Prado. Specialists have pointed to the influence of the Christ that Van Dyck painted for the church of Dendermonde. Dated around 1667 and possibly purchased by the wife of Philip V, Isabella of Farnese, it entered her collection in 1746 and was documented three years later in the Palace of Aranjuez, from where it was transferred to the Prado in 1818. Here, too, the cross is a vertical part of the composition, and the body acquires sculptural volume thanks to the masterly handling of the light. The landscape of Golgotha is reduced to an atmospheric impression, establishing a chiaroscuro dialogue with the suffering flesh tones. Here too, the skull and some of the instruments of the Passion are depicted at the foot of the cross. The stylistic and formal correspondences between these two paintings and others from Murillo's mature period lead specialists to believe that they share the same authorship.
Little is known about Murillo's childhood and youth, except that he lost his father in 1627 and his mother in 1628, which is why he was taken into the care of his brother-in-law. Around 1635 he must have begun his apprenticeship as a painter, most likely with Juan del Castillo, who was married to a cousin of his. This working and artistic relationship lasted about six years, as was customary at the time. After his marriage in 1645 he embarked on what was to be a brilliant career that gradually made him the most famous and sought-after painter in Seville. The only trip he is known to have made is documented in 1658, when Murillo was in Madrid for several months. It is conceivable that at court he kept in touch with the painters who lived there, such as Velázquez, Zurbarán and Cano, and that he had access to the collection of paintings in the Royal Palace, a magnificent subject of study for all the artists who passed through the court.