Venetian School, modelled on PAOLO VERONESE (Verona, 1528 - Venice, 1588).

Venetian School, modelled on PAOLO VERONESE (Verona, 1528 - Venice, 1588).
‘Martyrdom of Saint Justina’.
Oil on canvas. Re-coloured.
It presents faults in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 97 x 75,5 cm; 117 x 87 cm (frame).

This painting follows the model of the work painted by Veronese, which is in the main altar of the basilica Santa Giustina in Padua. Veronese portrayed Saint Justina of Padua on several occasions. It is in this work, however, that he displays the greatest sumptuousness and scenographic complexity. Perhaps its privileged location led Veronese to intricate the depiction of the martyrdom of the saint, who is almost hidden among the number of characters that populate the scene, with various earthly and heavenly entourages swirling around the protagonist. Numerous engravings were made of this work, which spread the mastery of the composition. An example of this is the engraving belonging to the Valparaíso collection by Agostino Carracci. In this painting the artist follows the original model, although he allows himself certain licences that add originality to the painting.

Venetian Baroque painting was a transforming force for much of the rest of the European schools, and masters such as Rubens, Velázquez and Van Dyck succumbed to the works produced by this school during the 16th and 17th centuries. The vibrant colouring, the fluidity and strength of the brushstroke and a passionate movement full of gestures and theatricality made it a landmark often imitated. The great painters such as Titian, Tintoretto, Bassano and, more closely related to us, Veronese, championed this vision. Veronese, like his contemporaries, maintained elaborate compositions in which the scenes seem to move on their own. The loose, almost pure brushstrokes give the sensation of immediacy and lead us to an energetic vision in which the colour unfolds, shining with flashes of red in contrast with a blue that is lost to black and suddenly shines through to lead white. All this colourfulness and fluency are expressed in Veronese's luxuriousness. A precious treatment of fabrics, jewels and textures emanates from each of the elements in the painting. In the case of our painting this is clearly evident.