Spanish school; XVI century.

Spanish school; XVI century.
"Calvary".
Oil on pine board.
It presents faults and restorations on the pictorial surface.
It has a frame from the early twentieth century.
Measurements: 63 x 73 cm; 97 x 88 cm (frame).
The artist of the present composition offers us a scene of Calvary that summarizes the Passion of Christ. We see Jesus expiring, still on the cross, with the wound in his side open. At the foot of the cross, we see Mary Magdalene standing with her hands resting on her face. On the other side of the cross, St. John the Evangelist is looking towards Christ, joining his hands in a pious attitude. At the feet two skulls can be appreciated, surely in allusion to Gestas and Dimas, that is to say the good and the bad thief that do not appear in this composition, which is closed in the distance with the imposing presence of the city. It is noteworthy to point out the way in which the artist has configured the space, as it helps not only of the planes but also of the color, using cold tones in the last plane, which enhance the feeling of remoteness. As for the figures, despite the static hieratism, a certain influence of Renaissance currents can be appreciated, especially in the anatomical treatment of Christ's body. In western art, the representation of Christ on the cross was preferred, as a narrative scene, and the figure of St. John the Baptist was replaced by that of John the Evangelist. An image that in its conception and form is the result of the expression of the people and the deepest feelings that nestled in it. With the economy of the State broken, the nobility in decline and the high clergy burdened with heavy taxes, it was the monasteries, the parishes and the confraternities of clerics and laymen who promoted its development, with the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription.