Spanish Baroque Painting: Masters, Styles, and Schools
Spanish Baroque Painting: An Introduction
Introduction and Key Features
The 17th century, known as the Golden Age, represents a pinnacle of Spanish painting. Masters like Velázquez, Ribera, and Zurbarán emerged during this period. Primary patrons included the monarchy and nobility, while the struggling middle class played a lesser role in art promotion. Artists held a relatively low social status, akin to artisans, and painting was considered a manual activity. The generation of 1560 is recognized for pioneering this style with its naturalism, rejection of idealized forms, loose brushwork, and focus on everyday subjects.
The Spanish school possessed distinct characteristics. Religious painting dominated, influencing other genres like still lifes and portraits, with a notable emphasis on vanitas themes. Landscapes, mythology, and nudes were less common, often imported from other artistic traditions. Spanish Baroque paintings typically exhibit naturalism, oil on canvas technique, simple compositions, and rich symbolism. Painters drew inspiration from both Caravaggio’s tenebrism and the vibrant palette of Rubens.
The Valencian School: Ribera
José de Ribera, born in Játiva in 1591, stands out in the Valencian school. He traveled to Italy at a young age, living in Rome before settling in Naples under the patronage of Spanish viceroys. Known as “Lo Spagnoletto,” he established a prestigious school with numerous disciples, influencing Italy and other European countries. His work encompasses two phases: an initial dark period influenced by Caravaggio, followed by a mature stage reflecting classical and Venetian painting. He excelled in religious themes, including martyrdoms, immaculates, and depictions of penitents and ascetics. His genre paintings, such as The Clubfoot, display an exaggerated naturalism. Ribera also explored mythological subjects and employed earthy tones. His masterful use of light and thick brushwork, particularly in rendering skin, earned him the nickname “the painter of skin.”
The Seville School: Zurbarán and Murillo
Francisco de Zurbarán, though born in Badajoz, is closely associated with the Seville school. Known for his series of paintings for Dominican, Hieronymite, and Carthusian monasteries, he earned the title “painter of monks.” Zurbarán masterfully depicted drapery and emphasized volume, giving his works an almost sculptural quality. His compositions are simple and direct, sometimes appearing static. He also excelled in austere still lifes and richly colored depictions of saints. Later in his career, influenced by Murillo, he attempted a softer style but died poor and forgotten in Madrid.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, a Seville artist, was known for his gentle and sweet style. His early works feature dark atmospheres and opaque colors, as seen in Children Eating Fruit. Later, he created series for Seville convents, employing rich and harmonious colors. During this period, he focused on atmospheric effects, using sketchy brushstrokes and soft colors, while downplaying volume. His numerous works include popular depictions of the Virgin and Child.
The Madrid School: Velázquez
Diego Velázquez: Life and Artistic Development
Diego de Silva Velázquez, born in Seville in 1599, displayed an early artistic vocation. He apprenticed with Herrera the Elder and Francisco Pacheco. Through the Count-Duke of Olivares, he became court painter to Philip IV, responsible for the Royal Collection, which significantly influenced his work. Velázquez met Rubens during the Flemish master’s visit to Madrid and accompanied him on several occasions. He also undertook two trips to Italy, studying the great Italian masters.
Velázquez’s compositions are typically uncomplicated, avoiding exaggerated movement. His treatment of light evolved from the dark Seville style to a more nuanced approach, mastering aerial perspective. His drawing and color also developed, moving from detailed drawing and dark earth tones to a more linear style with cool colors, influenced by Tintoretto and Veronese. His subject matter varied, and he enjoyed playing with interpretation, often employing the Baroque device of “a picture within a picture.”
Six Stages of Velázquez’s Oeuvre
- Seville Stage (Training): Naturalistic works with meticulous drawing, dark tones, and a focus on light contrast. Simple compositions with few figures, often using the technique of focusing on secondary figures to enhance the principal subject. Examples include The Waterseller of Seville and Old Woman Frying Eggs.
- First Madrid Stage: Following Pacheco’s advice and with the support of the Count-Duke of Olivares, Velázquez moved to Madrid and became court painter. Burnished tones gave way to pinks and whites. He painted portraits of the royal family, the Count-Duke, and court jesters. He also explored historical and mythological themes, the latter treated with naturalism and irony in works like The Triumph of Bacchus (Los Borrachos).
- First Trip to Italy: Influenced by Rubens, Velázquez traveled to Italy, where he painted The Forge of Vulcan, a burlesque interpretation of mythology.
- Second Madrid Stage: Upon returning, he oversaw the decoration of the Buen Retiro Palace and painted equestrian portraits of the royal family and the Count-Duke of Olivares. His palette became richer and warmer, and his brushwork looser. Masterpieces from this period include Las Lanzas (The Surrender of Breda), along with religious and mythological paintings.
- Second Trip to Italy: Tasked by the king with acquiring art, Velázquez returned to Venice, Rome, and Naples. He painted two masterful landscapes of the Villa Medici, known as “Noon” and “Evening.” He also painted portraits, including Juan de Pareja and Pope Innocent X.
- Return to Court: From 1651, Velázquez focused on portraits and mythological subjects, using pinks and ivories. He employed a formula of wide, straight necklines in female portraits, as seen in The Roilette of Venus. Las Hilanderas (The Spinners) blends mythology and genre scenes. Las Meninas is considered the culmination of his career.
Velázquez died in 1660, a visionary artist ahead of his time. The Impressionists of the 19th century recognized him as a master and one of the greatest painters of all time.