Spanish School of the XVII century.

Spanish School of the XVII century.
"Mary Magdalene".
Carved wood, polychrome and gilded.
Measurements: 33 cm (height).

With the Renaissance sculpture we find the purest expression of the Spanish soul. In the hierarchy of our artistic excellence, the sculpture of the 16th century represents an equivalence of perfection with the painting of the following century. All the passion, the mysticism, the yearning for beauty, the exaltation of the spirit, the flame that burns the matter, we find it in these statues and reliefs that cover the altarpieces. Likewise, it can be affirmed that yes, there is a distinctly Hispanic renaissance that uses Italian forms to express an essentially anti-classical temperament and ideals, derived directly from Spanish religiosity. There is no radical break with the plastic art of the late Gothic; the naturalistic rhythms and excesses, the angular folds and violent chiaroscuro are softened, and more harmonious and balanced rhythms and more delicate lines are introduced. Nevertheless, the expressive intensity is the same, seeking above all to delve into the soul, to disrupt the classical type of correction in favor of the spiritual effusiveness that goes beyond pure aesthetics. Thus, although they will exist, examples of idealized and beautiful characters will be rare, clearly classical Italian style, and individualized faces will proliferate, always reflecting the character and internal religiosity. It should also be noted that this marked expressiveness reaches its maximum spiritual power because it is made of wood, a material that can be worked in a more direct and passionate way than stone. And this treatment in deep planes is further reinforced in its dramatism with the stew, those golds tinged by color that endow the cloths with a vibration and chromatic indefinition of the most beautiful effect.