Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) was a remarkable Spanish Baroque painter, sometimes called "the Caravaggio of Spain" for his moody and brooding pictures using dark colors and chiaroscuro shading. His lifetime overlapped significantly with that other Spanish Baroque Master, Diego Velázquez. Most of Zurbarán's work portrayed religious themes, though he was also an accomplished still life painter. His son, Juan, became a painter and concentrated on still life images. A wonderful exhibit of Zurbarán's work has been mounted at the National Gallery in London. Included are some of his son, Juan Zurbarán's paintings, too.
Shown above, Zurbarán's austere Saint Francis of Assisi in Meditation which captures the saint kneeling in silent prayer. His youthful features are just visible under the darkness of his hood—his mouth slightly open in contemplation. He holds a skull—a symbol of one's inevitable death—and his tattered Franciscan robes are skillfully rendered. Note the traces of the stigmata marks on the back of his right hand. The dark, theatrical lighting and heavy use of black brings weighty drama to the image. This picture, painted between 1635 and 1639, hung in the Louvre in the early Nineteenth Century. It was purchased for the National Gallery in London in 1853.
Shown above, Zurbarán's Agnus Dei, ("Lamb of God") painted between 1635 and 1640. This picture has always moved me. The lamb represents Christ—bound, compliant, resigned—awaiting his inevitable fate. The painting is wonderfully executed, especially the masterful brushwork of the animal's fleece. This picture is in the collection of the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.
Shown above, a still life by Juan Zurbarán, Still Life of Lemons in a Wicker Basket. Still life paintings are always a display of painterly alacrity—the ability of the artist to convey different materials, surfaces and objects. However, the best still life paintings are more than a simple compilation of skillfully-rendered parts; one sees a greater, holistic composition. Note the textured skins of the lemons (shown in detail below). And the tight accuracy of the woven wicker basket—which required great precision and concentration to paint. This picture is owned by the National Gallery in London, one of only 20 paintings by Juan Zurbarán whose whereabouts are known.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.