ESCUELA ESPAÑOLA

(S.XVI)

SPANISH SCHOOL (16th century) "Prayer in the Garden"

Oil on panel. This pair of panels, with scenes from the cycle of the Passion of Christ, belonged to the same altarpiece that is now dismantled. Nothing is known about its origin, although its style can be linked to some paintings by Pedro Machuca (Toledo, 1490 - Granada, 1550). In both it is clear that their unknown author was familiar with the works of great masters of Italian painting, such as Raphael and Michelangelo, both in their compositions and in some formal elements such as the use of color, blurred chiaroscuros and night effects. In the expressiveness of some figures, knowledge of the work of Leonardo or Rosso Fiorentino also seems to be appreciated. In them, especially in the Prayer in the Garden, one can observe the painter's taste in including complicated foreshortenings and strong lighting contrasts, generating a kind of visual violence, similar to that seen in most of Machuca's production. Measurements: 72 x 54 cm.