Spanish school; mid-17th century

Spanish school; mid-17th century.
"Saint Onofre".
Oil on canvas. The original canvas is preserved.
It has slight repainting.
Measurements: 130 x 85 cm; 150 x 104 cm (frame).
A hermit is kneeling in a penitent attitude, with his hands crossed in a pious way. From these hands hangs a small rosary which goes slightly unnoticed due to the darkness of the background. This darkness does not allow us to see the landscape clearly, but rather to make out the narrow, rocky space that opens up to the outside on the right-hand side of the scene. The saint, who stands out for the warmth of his skin tone, is accompanied by a skull, an open book, alluding to the Bible, and, as the last iconographic element, a bird with a flame in its beak. This, together with his clothing and characteristic beard, suggests that the artist is depicting the figure of Saint Onofre (300 AD). He is a saint venerated by both the Catholic Church and Coptic Christians. Legend has it that, as an infant, he escaped unharmed from the flames, where he was thrown by his father, who had been tricked by the devil. Onofre renounced a life of luxury and privilege to enter the monastic life at an early age. He would later leave the convent behind to live as a hermit in the desert for 60 years. It is said that he walked around naked, covered only by his hair and long beard, and that he fed on water, leaves and berries. The story of San Onofre says that he received bread, wine and communion from the hands of angels.
Spanish Baroque painting is one of the most authentic and personal examples of our art, because its conception and form of expression arose from the people and their deepest feelings. With the economy of the State in ruins, the nobility in decline and the high clergy burdened with heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, parishes and confraternities of clerics and laymen who promoted its development, the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription. Sculpture was thus obliged to express the prevailing ideals in these environments, which were none other than religious ones, at a time when Counter-Reformation doctrine demanded a realistic language from art so that the faithful could understand and identify with what was represented, and an expression endowed with an intense emotional content in order to increase the fervour and devotion of the people. The religious theme was therefore the subject matter.