'' by
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo; 1678, oil on canvas, 274 cm × 190 cm,
Museo del Prado.|left
Religious painting Francisco Pacheco, the Spanish Baroque painter under whom Velázquez studied, believed that the ultimate goal of painting was to inspire religious devotion within the viewer, bringing them closer to God. This outlook illustrates the reasons for the implementation of realism in religious painting in the first half of the 16th century, and for the swift acceptance of naturalist trends, as these were thought to aid religious believers to engage with the religious events depicted. With the rise of Protestantism and their increasing reluctance to worship certain religious symbols associated with Catholicism, the Church further encouraged depictions of the veneration of the
Virgin Mary, as well as
Saint Joseph (encouraged by
Teresa of Ávila), The
Immaculate Conception is a religious motif characteristic of Spain which frequently appears in paintings, with the country, led by the monarchy, determined in defending this doctrine, which still hadn't been established by the Pope. For similar reasons, depictions of the Holy Communion, and Eucharistic subjects gained increasing importance (exemplified in
Claudio Coello's
Adoración de la Sagrada Forma in El Escorial). Depictions of Evangelical themes were extremely common, and were also often used to combat Protestant heresy: the Last Supper reflects the Eucharistic consecration; Christ's miracles make reference to the works of compassion (such as the series of paintings by Murillo for the Hospital de la Caridad in Seville). On the other hand, given the reservations Catholics had towards the
Old Testament, there were very few which depicted scenes from it; the subjects chosen were those which could be interpreted as the announcement of the Birth of Christ, or which are parallels of it (such as the
Binding of Isaac, the meaning of which corresponds with the passion of Christ).
Secular themes '':
Juan Sánchez Cotán inspired the austeric style of Spanish still lifes; 1602, oil on canvas, 69 × 84 cm,
San Diego Museum of Art.|upright 1.2 Other
themes, such as
still life and
portraiture, also developed throughout this period: a Spanish school can be recognised given the distinctive characteristics of the paintings which belong to these themes. The use of the expression "still life painting" is already documented in 1599. The severe aesthetic of Spanish still life paintings contrasts with the lavish
Flemish works: from the work of
Juan Sánchez Cotán onward, the Spanish still life came to be defined as having simple, geometric compositions, with hard lines and
Tenebrist illumination. Sánchez Cótan gained such success that many other still life painters followed suit: these include Felipe Ramírez,
Alejandro de Loarte, the Court painter
Juan van der Hamen y León,
Juan Fernández, el Labrador, Juan de Espinosa,
Francisco Barrera,
Antonio Ponce,
Francisco Palacios,
Francisco de Burgos Mantilla, among others. The Seville School also helped define the characteristics of the Spanish still life, with Velázquez and Zurbarán leading it. While the typical Spanish still life, while not exempt from the influences of Italian and Flemish Painting, was characterised for its moderation until the middle of the century,
Flemish influences then added a richness, complexity, and even a theatricality to the paintings, including depictions of
allegorical subjects. Examples of the impact of Flemish painting on the Spanish still life can be found in the flower paintings by
Juan de Arellano and the
Vanitas by
Antonio de Pereda and
Valdés Leal. 's
The Clubfoot, a typical raw portrayal of human weakness by Spanish artists; 1642, oil on canvas, 164 × 92 cm,
Louvre. The portraiture of the Spanish Baroque period contrasted greatly from the extravagant portraits commissioned by other European courts. The figure of
El Greco was decisive in the consolidation of the method used to produce portraits during this period. The Spanish portrait has its roots, on the one hand, in the Italian School (
Titian), and, on the other, the
Hispano-Flemish paintings of
Antonio Moro and
Sánchez Coello. The compositions are simple with very few embellishments, and transmit the intense humanity and honour of the subject. This, in contrast to the general trends of the
Counter-Reformation, did not necessarily indicate that the subjects held great importance or were of high social status: all subjects were portrayed in the same way, whether they were kings, or street children. Spanish Baroque portraits distinguish themselves from those of other schools by their severity; their raw portrayal of the soul of the subject; by the certain
scepticism and
fatalism they show towards life; and by the use of naturalism in the portrayal of the subject's features, far from the classicism generally defended by theorists. As is typical to the Counter-Reformation, the real takes precedence over the ideal. With the consolidation of Spanish portraiture was throughout the 17th century through the magnificent portraits by Velázquez, as well as those by Ribera,
Juan Ribalta and Zurbarán, artists continued to reproduce the characteristics typical of the theme until the work of
Goya. :
Rokeby Venus, depicting
Venus and
Cupid; 1647–51, oil on canvas, 123 × 175 cm,
National Gallery. Paintings of this period containing
historical or
mythological themes can also be found, though to a lesser degree. Some examples of these have been signalled by collectors. In any case, in comparison with the 16th century, there is a notable increase in paintings depicting mythological subject matter which were not created exclusively for royal residences, and a production of independent works was established, logically, reached a wider audience and contained a greater variety of iconography. Landscape paintings, like portraiture, were considered a theme of lesser importance by treatise writers, who placed the depiction of human figures at the apex of the
hierarchy of genres. In
Diálogos de la pintura, the first treatise on Spanish painting,
Vincenzo Carducci wrote that landscape paintings would only be suitable for display in country houses or places of leisure, but that their value would increase if they depicted religious or historical scenes. Similarly,
Franciscto Pacheco wrote in his textbook,
Art of Painting, that, with regards to landscapes painted by foreign artists (mentioning
Brill,
Muziano and
Cesare Arbasia, who mentored the Spanish painter
Antonio Mohedano), he admits that landscapes are "an aspect of painting which should not be neglected", but nonetheless adheres to the traditional view regarding landscape painting, warning that they are afforded "little glory and respect by the greats". :
Landscape with Hunters, 1660, oil on canvas, 98 × 155 cm,
Liria Palace. Looking back at their inventories, we can see that this genre of painting was highly appreciated by the art collectors of the time; however, as collectors did not usually record the names of painters, it is not possible to know how many in these collections were produced by Spanish artists, or how many were imported. In contrast to
Dutch Golden Age painting, there weren't authentic specialists in landscape painting in Spain, with the possible exception of the Basque painter
Ignacio de Iriarte, who worked in Seville and associated with
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Other painters, such as
Francisco Collantes and
Benito Manuel Agüero, who worked in Madrid, as well as
Antonio del Castillo, from Cordoba, have also been praised for their landscape paintings. == See also ==