Zurbaran: Spain's master of artistic detail
Baroque painter Francisco de Zurbaran, a contemporary of Diego Velazquez, is revered in Spain, but almost unknown in Germany. An exhibition in Dusseldorf is about to change that.
Votive image
Francisco de Zurbaran learned the trade as an apprentice to an artist and later painted religious motifs on commission for monasteries, churches and the nobility. The small oil painting "Agnus Dei" (The Lamb of God) is dated 1639, a time when Zurbaran was court painter to King Philip IV. It is housed in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
Monks and saints
In his early years, Zurbaran's style was sparse and color-reduced, a style distinctive for its earth tones, absence of light and mystical mood. Small Zurbaran oil paintings were carried around in processions in deeply Catholic Spain as if they were pictures of saints. Pictured is one of his many paintings of Saint Francis of Assisi, painted between 1658-1660.
Inspiration from Italy
During his years at the Spanish court, Zurbaran had access to King Philip IV's Italian art collections, where he became familiar with other contemporary artists' styles. Caravaggio's expressive paintings, in particular, left a lasting impression, and, inspired by the Italian style, Zurbaran lightened his own color palette: "The Annunciation" (1650).
Ladies of the court
"Santa Casilda" (1635): Zurbaran painted austere saints, but he also painted elegant ladies at court. He was fascinated by the opulent brocades and silks of their dresses, capes and shawls, and with the stroke of his paintbrush, sought to recreate them to perfection. The texture seems palpable, you can almost hear the gold threads scrape across the floor.
Favorite saint
"Saint Francis in Meditation" is one of the very few Zurbaran paintings owned by a German Museum, in this case the Museum Kunstpalast in Dusseldorf. He painted this particular saint more than 50 times. The Spanish master was interested in portraying ordinary people, poor mendicants, and the silence of piety.
A photo like a painting
Flowers, fruit, a pitcher: German-American photographer Evelyn Hofer (1922 -2009) echos Zurbaran motifs in her still life photos. The Düsseldorf museum presents her works in a special show at "Zurbaran. Master of detail", which runs until January 31, 2016.